Asia-Pacific’s first “travel bubble” opens: how it works

Taiwan and Palau on Thursday inaugurated the first “travel bubble” in the Asia-Pacific region, which will allow passengers to move from one country to another without the need to quarantine, reports the local press.

The agreement, signed during the President of Palau’s visit to Taiwan this week, Surangel Whipps Jr., This was possible “Thanks to the efforts of both parties to control the epidemic”Taiwan’s Minister of Health said Thursday, Chen Shih-chung.

The first flight, of Chinese airlines (CAL), departed today from Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei, at 2:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. GMT) bound for Palau.

To take advantage of this bubble, travelers must show up at the airport five hours before departure and take a coronavirus testaccording to the Taiwanese news agency CNA.

Ambassador of Palau to Taiwan, Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil, indicates that the island country awaits with open arms the arrival of Taiwanese tourists, who will be “the only foreign visitors in the world”, as collected Radio Taiwan International.

Palau is one of the 15 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which has been governed autonomously since 1949, but over which China claims sovereignty.

In fact, Surangel Whipps Jr.’s visit did not please Beijing. Chinese fighter jets passed the Taiwanese air defense identification zone on Monday and received radio warnings from Taiwan, which also deployed its air defense missile systems to monitor activity.

(With information from EFE)

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