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CECC reviewing return to home quarantine
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) says it's considering whether to allow incoming travellers to be able to quarantine at home once again.
The statement comes amid calls for people to be able quarantine at home ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, because quarantine hotel reservations are already nearly full for that period.
Some officials have said that allowing people to quarantine at home could ease the pressure on the government to provide quarantine venues for the large numbers of people who return to Taiwan for the holiday.
However, the CECC is voicing its concerns about allowing home quarantine and is cautioning that the coronavirus situation here in Taiwan could change drastically in a matter of weeks.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says the government will announce its decision on the issue of a return to home quarantine within two weeks.
This comes as there are reportedly only some 1,000 rooms left at Taiwan's quarantine hotels before the Lunar New Year holidays.
Speaking at the Legislative Yuan, Health Minister Chen Shi-chung said about 31,000 Taiwanese travellers may return home then, and this number is nearly the same as the hotel rooms available.
Chen said the epidemic-prevention hotels nationwide offer some 26,000 rooms in total and government quarantine centres another 5,700.
These facilities are now 97% booked between 1-16 January.
Taiwan has asked that all inbound travellers undergo 14-day quarantine at hotels or quarantine centres since 27 June due to the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 virus.
