《TAIPEI TIMES》COVID-19: Visa extensions amid the pandemic end for visitors

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

Foreign nationals who entered Taiwan as visitors before late March 2020 and stayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic will not receive another visa extension, and must leave Taiwan before the end of next month, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday.

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Those who entered Taiwan as visitors on or before March 21, 2020, and are still in the nation without having overstayed their visa would not receive another automatic extension, the agency said in a statement.

As COVID-19 border control measures and quarantine rules have been eased, those who received a 30-day extension on Oct. 5 would be required to leave before Nov. 30, it said.

Over the past two years, 30-day automatic visa extensions have been granted to foreign visitors, allowing about 420,000 people to stay in Taiwan safely with family or for work during the pandemic, and reducing infection risk from international travel, it said.

Foreign nationals with a visitor visa valid until Dec. 1 or after should leave before the expiration date, it said, adding that foreign nationals who meet conditions such as illness, pregnancy, life-threatening risk, disaster or other unavoidable conditions could apply for special extensions.

Separately, the Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） reported 39,138 new COVID-19 infections and 42 COVID-19-related deaths.

Centers for Disease Control （CDC） Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang （莊人祥）, the CECC’s spokesman, said the local caseload was down 12.7 percent from Tuesday last week, and new cases in all cities and counties, except for Kinmen County, have dropped, suggesting that the local outbreak is slowing down.

CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo （羅一鈞）, deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said a severe case was confirmed in a nine-year-old who did not have any underlying health issues.

The boy developed a cough and sore throat on Oct. 13, tested negative at a clinic, and developed breathing difficulty on Oct. 15, Lo said, adding that the boy was rushed to an emergency room, where he tested positive.

The boy was diagnosed with an asthma attack and put on a ventilator, Lo said, adding that the boy recovered after treatment with several medications and was discharged from hospital on Thursday last week.

Despite the CECC on Monday announcing that from Nov. 7, body temperature measurement would no longer be required at businesses and public facilities, Lo said the eased measure would not be adopted at healthcare facilities and long-term care facilities, as residents are more vulnerable to severe illness.

Current COVID-19 testing requirements for visitors and people accompanying hospitalized patients would also stay in place, he said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES