Day 339: How Taiwan Quarantines Foreigners

personal

I ended my two-week quarantine in Taiwan several days ago and thought it’d be interesting to share what the process was like. This is how Taiwan has managed to prevent local cases while taking in foreigners like me:

Location Tracking

Upon landing, I had to buy a Taiwanese SIM card. The government uses cell tower triangulation (not GPS) to track my location throughout my 14-day quarantine. If I were to turn off my phone or leave my quarantine location, police would be dispatched to look for me.

Mandatory 14-Day Quarantine

Foreigners are required to stay in a government-approved hotel that adheres to a strict quarantine protocol. No Airbnbs.

Spray Down

When I left the airport, my bags and I were thoroughly sprayed down with a disinfectant. They even made sure to get the bottom of my shoes.

Subsidized Taxis

I wasn’t allowed to take public transit and had to arrange my own transportation or take a taxi. Thanks to government subsidies, it cost a flat rate (NT$1000) to get to anywhere in the city.

Daily Temperature Reporting

My hotel provided a thermometer, and I had to report my morning and evening temperatures every day. Of course, I used Browserflow to automate filling out everything except for the temperatures. 😁

Daily Phone Calls

On my first day of quarantine, the Taipei police station called to check on me. Every day after that, I got a call from an unknown number that I eventually realized belonged to the Central Epidemic Command Center.

Daily Texts

In addition to the daily phone calls, I received daily texts asking about my condition. Felt a bit redundant to get both calls and texts, but I guess they reeeaaally wanted to make sure I was feeling normal.

Post-Quarantine

Once my quarantine ended, I entered a 7-day self-health management period where I’ve continued to receive daily texts asking about my condition.

Thanks to all these measures, Taiwan is able to make sure that people are healthy and safe before joining the society here.

The result? Being able to make new friends. Eat together. Spend hours talking and laughing. In other words, have things feel almost normal again.

Resources