At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Premier Su Tseng-chang received a briefing from the Mainland Affairs Council on special travel arrangements during the Lunar New Year holiday period for residents of Taiwan's outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands. The premier said that the government's policy is to gradually restore healthy and orderly people-to-people exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. To provide Kinmen and Matsu residents returning to China for the holidays with the greatest possible assistance and convenience while also ensuring thorough COVID-19 pandemic prevention, the Executive Yuan has formulated a special plan—effective for a four-week period between January 7 and February 6 next year—to enable Kinmen and Matsu residents and their Chinese spouses to apply for special travel authorization to China.
The premier said the Lunar New Year celebration is the most important Taiwanese holiday tradition and is also a time for families to reunite. The plan authorizing civilian travel from the Kinmen and Matsu islands was proposed after overall consideration of many factors, including the severity and lack of clarity regarding China's current COVID-19 situation; Kinmen, Matsu and other outlying islands having limited health care capacity; and respecting input from local officials and public opinion. The plan will balance comprehensive pandemic safety on outlying islands with the fulfillment of Kinmen and Matsu islanders' wishes to return to their hometowns and visit their families during the holiday period.
The premier directed relevant government agencies to execute thorough planning of the ferry routes, implement COVID-19 border control measures, closely and dynamically monitor developments in local public health and medical services, and be ready to deploy resources as needed at any time.