Quarantine process of teacher Kimberly's arrival in Taiwan
No more than 48 hours before flying to Taiwan, you will need to fill out an online form, "Quarantine System for Entry”. (https://hdhq.mohw.gov.tw/) The form is fairly easy to fill out. Just follow the steps. You will need to provide a phone number; they expect a Taiwan phone number. It is okay if you do not have one. Just put down whatever number you have access to. You can change the phone number to a Taiwan one later at the airport when you arrive and buy your SIM card. Because I already had a Taiwan phone number. This process was streamlined once I arrived at the airport in Taiwan.
Upon arrival in Taiwan my second time around they ushered everyone in a straight file line off the airplane. You will be initially shown one line. This line is for people who do not have Taiwan SIM cards. If you do not have a Taiwan SIM card stay in this line, they will help you change your phone number on the "Quarantine System for Entry" website once you have purchased your SIM". If you have already filled out the form with a Taiwan phone number. You should get a text upon arrival in Taiwan. Click on the link from the text and follow the instructions on the website to get your "Quarantine System for Entry" form. Once you have your form downloaded in picture format, all three pages, or in PDF format show the form to one of the workers so they can take you to the customs line. (Because this is my second time entering Taiwan, I was able to complete this process by myself. I was able to get the form from the website. Show the attendant and take into the customs line.)
Once you are in the customs line, it may take a while because more people are entering the country currently, you will need to show the worker your passport and your ARC, if you have one. You will also need to show the customs form they gave you on the plane before landing. (It is okay if the form is not filled out completely. There is a place for you to stop and finish filling it out before you get your luggage. You can always ask a worker for help if you are confused filling out the form, although at the table before the station where they stamp your passport for entry, they have instructions in multiple languages.) Once you have shown your passport and ARC, if you have one. You will be shown to a table where they will explain the quarantine and self-health process as well as provide you with two at home COVID tests.
After they give you the two at home COVID tests, you walk towards the area where you can finish filling out your customs form. If you need to exchange any money before the area with the customs form, there will be a money exchange booth right after you get those two tests. If you are exchanging a lot of money, I suggest exchanging a small amount first at the airport and then doing the rest at the bank later. This is because you get better exchange rates at the bank outside of the airport rather than in the airport usually.
Once you have finished filling out your customs form, you will walk up to one of the booths. Ask a worker and they will tell you which line to follow. I suggest asking a worker because ARC holders and non-ARC foreign passport holders go in two different lines. You will show them your passport and ARC, if you have one, and your customs form. They will ask you to remove your mask for a picture as well as take your fingerprints digitally for your two index fingers.
Once you have passed this area you can go collect your luggage from the baggage claim. They have carts there for you to use if you have multiple pieces of luggage. You will then head to the area where you take a number and sit in a waiting area in order to be tested upon arrival. It's a spit test so it's fairly easy. If there are a lot of people there, they will call sections of 10 people up to the line. So make sure you listen for your number section.
Once you have followed the line outside, you will park your luggage cart off to the side before heading to the testing area. (You will have been given a spit cup from the same counter you received. Your two at home COVID tests.) Once at the testing area they will explain the instructions and you will be shown to a booth where you can spit into your cup up to the five milliliter line. Once you're finished, you will wipe down the outside of the cup with a tissue, put the cup in the Ziploc bag provided, then head to the collection area.
Once you have given your sample to one of the workers, you can go ahead to where you dropped off your cart to pick it up. Once you have your sticker on that says "Quarantine" you will head to a line for the quarantine taxis if you are taking one. If you are having a friend or family member pick you up that is a different area but I did not use this so I don't know that process.
Once in line for a quarantine taxi you will show them your "Quarantine System for Entry" form so that they can print out those last two pages to hand to the taxi driver. The last two pages of the form have the information for your quarantine hotel or wherever you're quarantining. All of the quarantine taxis are subsidized by the government. Depending on which city you go to, there is a bracket for how much you pay. It should be on the back of the seat once you enter the taxi. The worker will hand the form to the taxi driver and they will take you to your quarantine hotel or place of quarantine.
I only have experience with quarantine hotels so I cannot speak on the process of other forms of quarantine. Once I arrived at my quarantine hotel I was given a form to fill out for later in the week when I would enter the self-health phase. Taiwan's wants quarantine currently consists of 3 days of quarantine and 4 days of self-health. The first day of quarantine they count is the first full day you're there. So for example, I arrived on July 29th but my first full day of quarantine was July 30th. This is because it was the first day that I had been there since midnight.
I was then shown to my room. My quarantine hotel had an option for hotel provided meals during quarantine and self-health for all three meals. I did opt to receive those meals, however for my hotel it was optional. At some hotels, it's a requirement. For the first 3 days of quarantine, you CANNOT leave your room. You may open your door to receive your meals and put your trash in the designated trash bin. However, you cannot step into the hallway past your door frame. During the self-health period, the way my hotel is set up is that I need to provide the front desk through line picture of the signed form they gave me upon arrival at the hotel. I filled out a portion of the list stating what time I was leaving, on which day, for what reasons
I also need to provide a picture of my negative COVID test with writing on the box stating the date the time I took the test and my name. The picture also needs to contain a valid ID so your ARC or your passport. I did both just to be safe. My hotel then says that I need to wait 30 minutes after sending those pictures before I can leave. They will give me the okay to leave my room to come to the front desk to collect a room key. Once I have the room key in hand, I may leave the premises. However, during self-health you cannot go on public transport or go into crowded areas. You also cannot take your mask off in public. Once you are about to arrive at the hotel, you need to text the hotel 10 minutes before you arrive so they can get ready. Then you'll be taken to the quarantine elevators to get back to your room.
Even though I'm in a quarantine hotel with provided meals, I am still able to order food from food delivery apps if I so choose. I need to have the meals delivered within certain time frames though. This hotel does not ask for screenshots of the order ticket from the app. However, my first quarantine hotel in March did, so make sure you double check with your quarantine hotel. If you order food through food delivery apps, you need to have the full amount paid through the app before it's delivered. You cannot have cash as an option to pay because nothing that enters your room can leave your room except for trash.
I think I've said all I can say for now! ------------------- Shared by Teacher Kimberly Fennell
