WUHAN VIRUS/Chinese nationals allowed to apply for extended stay in Taiwan

Taipei Chinese nationals, other than those from Hong Kong and Macau, who are visiting Taiwan for six designated business or family related purposes, can apply to extend their stay beginning Wednesday, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The measure applies to those visiting Taiwan to fulfill certain business engagements, employees at international companies who have been transferred to Taiwan, and employees working at the Taiwanese branches of Chinese companies or companies funded by Chinese entities.

It also includes Chinese nationals on short term trips to visit family or those "reuniting" with their Taiwanese spouses, the CECC said.

Starting Wednesday, individuals in these categories can apply to extend their stay at National Immigration Agency offices across Taiwan, the agency said.

Each successful application will extend one's stay by 15 days, and repeated extensions will be granted on a case by case basis, the agency said.

About 10,000 such Chinese nationals are currently in Taiwan, the agency noted.

The CECC also announced Tuesday that minor children of Taiwanese nationals or their Chinese spouses, who have Chinese nationality and hold either long term residency permits or long term family visit permits in Taiwan, and who do not have relatives to look after them in China, will be allowed to enter Taiwan.

However, they will be required to remain in quarantine at home for 14 days upon entry, the CECC said.

Roughly 2,000 children who hold either of the two permits have been denied entry to Taiwan since Feb. 6, when Taiwan banned the entry of all Chinese nationals to the country, according to the CECC.

Although the initial ban exempted Chinese spouses with residency permits, it did not allow children with similar residency rights in the country, which is why an adjustment to the measure was necessary, Tsai Chih ju (???), an official at Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, told CNA.

The purpose of the ban was to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019 nCoV), which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, and has since infected over 43,000 people worldwide and killed more than 1,000, mostly in China.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel