Chinese New Year is approaching, which in any “normal year”, means scheduled trips to visit family off-island. However, with the new surge of COVID-19 Coronavirus cases hitting Taiwan, traveling outside of Taiwan is highly discouraged by Taipei American School and the Taiwanese government.

Like other students at Taipei American School, Chloe L. (’24) has spent most of her Chinese New Years traveling around Asia, mostly in Japan, with her family. “I really took our trips over Chinese New Year break for granted. I was talking to my mom and we both agreed that cancelling the annual trip was for the best, but we still couldn’t help but feel disappointed,” Chloe said.

Coming back to Taiwan after traveling off-island requires a 14 day (2 week) quarantine and an additional 7 days for self-monitoring. If a family member or friend comes back from traveling overseas, it is best to avoid all contact with them until they have been tested and have completed their quarantine. To help reduce the number of future COVID-19 cases, we must all do our part in being to protect our community.

With an increase of local cases of COVID-19, everyone should be sure to take extra precautions before going out, which includes wearing masks, sanitizing, and avoiding big crowds.