At least 36 residents affected by Taiwan’s passenger transit ban

At least 36 local residents have been reportedly affected by the decision of the Taiwanese authorities to ban transiting passengers from the island’s airports enforced from January 1, the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) told the Times.
According to the GGCT, as of last night, the office had received a total of 18 requests for information on the issue, involving a total of 36 Macau residents.
Of these, the majority (34) were requests from residents who were abroad and soliciting information about how they could return to the territory. Two of the requests were about residents who wished to leave Macau.
“These 34 residents informed the GGCT that they are currently in the following countries: the United States of America, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, and Australia.
The office also received one request for information from a resident who is in Macau and intending to return to the U.S. to continue his studies by making a stopover in Taiwan, the GGCT said in a written statement.
The GGCT also noted in the same statement that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, “entry or transit restrictions in any country or destination may be implemented or changed without prior notice.”
Hence, residents should be alert to the most up-to-date information, namely that which is communicated via the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center weekly press conference. They should also keep a close contact with the travel agencies they have made arrangements with for trips and the diplomatic delegations closest to the countries they may be transiting through during their return to Macau.
According to a report from TDM, the Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong have said that it is aware of the requests made by Portuguese nationals and is coordinating with local authorities to find a solution as soon as possible.
According to information previously disclosed by the GGCT which the Times had access to, the office informed that after the restrictions imposed by Taiwan, only three options are available to Macau residents returning from abroad.
This includes transiting via mainland China, which is for Chinese nationals and people that have been granted a special exemption to enter the country; via Hong Kong, for people who are residents of both Hong Kong and Macau; and via Tokyo-Narita by taking a connecting flight operated by Air Macau from the Japanese city.
Residents who are eligible to transit via the mainland will have to undergo a 21-day quarantine period in the mainland and provide a valid negative nucleic acid test (NAT) result upon returning to Macau.
The GGCT also warns that residents arriving via Hong Kong will have to undergo two quarantines. The first upon arrival in Hong Kong and the second upon arriving in Macau after being deemed eligible to travel. A valid negative NAT is also required in order to travel.
The third and last option is only available to non-Chinese nationals and non-residents from Hong Kong. The GGCT warns that the current restrictions and lack of passengers have been halting the flights from Tokyo-Narita to Macau, and it is difficult to predict possible changes to the measures enforced in Japan and the availability of Air Macau flights.
The Air Macau flight from Tokyo to Macau has been canceled on most occasions. Other flights are being used to transport cargo only and are not available for passenger bookings. Until the end of February, only one flight is available for passenger booking on this route.
On December 30, Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that the destination would ban all foreign arrivals, with just a few exceptions, effective from January 1, 2021.
At the same time, CECC also stated that Taiwan would suspend all transit flights through its airports. The decisions were made following the discovery of the first imported case of the mutated U.K. coronavirus strain in Taiwan, which occurred that same day.
This measure has further clipped Macau’s connections with other parts of the world, in particular Europe, as Taiwan had served as an integral transit hub for long-haul flights between Macau and other countries.