Taiwanese travel to Guam for Covid-19 ‘vaxication’ program

By Linda W. Davis 4 years ago
(CNN) — On July 6, a planeload of Taiwanese tourists arrived in the US territory of Guam. But they didn’t just journey for the island’s beautiful surroundings — they had been also there to get vaccinated in opposition to Covid-19.

The vacationers were between the first to acquire component in the Air Visit & Vacation (nicknamed V&V) method structured by the Guam Website visitors Bureau. The system permits qualified people from Taiwan ages 12 and up to journey to Guam and get their initially shot as shortly as a person working day immediately after arriving.

Taiwan’s point out-operate information outlet CNA claimed that 164 travellers arrived on the first flight from Taipei on Tuesday — and most bought their initial jabs the adhering to working day.

Lion Travel, a main travel corporation in Taiwan, claimed that tour offers from Taiwan to Guam have been bought out through mid-July.

Participants can decide on which vaccine they want from a listing that consists of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. If they have gotten a initial shot somewhere else, they can however enroll in the V&V application for their second.

Guam’s governor Lou Leon Guerrero advised media that all international readers with a detrimental Covid-19 PCR examination result inside of 72 several hours of their flight can be exempted from quarantine as of July 4. On leading of that, the initial 5,000 international readers to Guam from then will also be presented a searching allowance of US$500 to use on the island.

In purchase to participate, travelers will have to book their flights and reserve rooms at one particular of 11 specified lodges, then prepare personal transport from the airport to the lodge and reserve their vaccination appointment on-line as a result of a portal.

The vaccines are administered on-internet site at the lodges.

Taiwan was lauded for its speedy imagining early on in the pandemic. The self-governed island of 23 million persons shut its borders to virtually all non-citizens in March 2020.

Even so, the island documented a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines in Could as it suffered its worst outbreak of coronavirus, spurring some Taiwanese to travel overseas in get to get vaccinated.
In March, Australia’s Lowy Institute ranked Taiwan 3rd most effective in the earth — powering New Zealand and Bhutan — for its successful managing of the virus scenario.

Now, the V&V job hopes to help Taiwanese citizens get their vaccines a lot more quickly, even though also boosting tourism.

Guam is not the only Pacific island that’s tried using to entice Taiwanese people today to arrive and take a look at amid the pandemic. The tiny country of Palau welcomed guests from Taiwan in April 2021, marking the productive opening of the Asia-Pacific region’s 1st formal vacation bubble.
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