Taiwan lifts entry ban on Indonesian migrant workers

Taipei [Taiwan], November 12 : Taiwan has lifted an entry ban on migrant workers from Indonesia, implementing the first of two levels of COVID-19 quarantine requirements, Taipei News reported.
The first level is to run through February 14, with all Indonesian migrant workers entering the nation to undergo 14-day quarantine and seven days of self-health management, Ministry of Labor official Tsai Meng-liang said.
The ministry is discussing migrant worker entry rules with the governments of the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, said Tsai, who heads the Workforce Development Agency.
If the talks are successful, migrant workers from those three countries would also be allowed into Taiwan, he said.
Thailand has expressed willingness to cooperate with Taiwan's COVID-19 rules, so it will likely be the next country from which migrant workers are allowed to enter, he said.
According to local media, Taiwan banned entry for Indonesian migrant workers in December last year after a surge in COVID-19 cases imported from the Southeast Asian country.
On May 19, Taiwan banned entry for all foreign nationals without residency, including migrant workers, following an unprecedented spike in domestic cases.
Despite reopening to Indonesian migrant workers, entry for migrant workers might be halted from December 14 to February 14, because a lot of overseas Taiwanese are expected to return for the Lunar New Year holiday in those weeks and quarantine space is limited, Tsai said.
The entry rules over the two months will depend on the availability of rooms at quarantine facilities, Taipei News quoting him reported.