COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan

The COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of 19 March 2023 in Taiwan, 10,231,343 are confirmed cases, including 18,775 deaths.

The virus was confirmed to have spread to Taiwan on 21 January 2020, with the first case being a 50-year-old woman who had been teaching in Wuhan, China. The Taiwanese government integrated data from the national health care system, immigration, and customs authorities to aid in the identification and response to the virus. Government efforts are coordinated through the National Health Command Center (NHCC) of the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, established to aid in disaster management for epidemics following the 2003 SARS outbreak. The Journal of the American Medical Association says Taiwan engaged in 124 discrete action items to prevent the spread of the disease, including early screening of flights from Mainland China and the tracking of individual cases.

From March 2020 to October 2022, Taiwan imposed various restrictions and quarantine requirements on people entering the country from abroad. Starting on 19 March 2020, foreign nationals were barred from entering Taiwan with some exceptions such as those carrying out the remainder of business contracts and those holding valid Alien Resident Certificates, diplomatic credentials, or other official documentation and special permits. Later in 2020, restrictions were relaxed for foreign university students and those seeking medical treatment in Taiwan, subject to prior government approval. All foreigners who were admitted into the country were required complete a fourteen-day quarantine upon arrival, except for business travelers from countries determined to be at low or moderate risk, who were instead subject to five- or seven-day quarantines and must submit to a COVID-19 test.