Will I need to wear a mask?
Masks are not required on Singapore Airlines flights to or from Taiwan, although EVA Air and China Airlines continue to enforce the rule.
It is currently mandatory to wear a mask at all indoor and outdoor locations in Taiwan, except in the following situations:
- When exercising outdoors or indoors;
- When taking individual/group photos indoors or outdoors;
- When driving a vehicle or riding a scooter or bicycle by oneself or with live-in family members;
- When live streaming, filming, moderating an event, reporting, delivering remarks, giving a speech, lecturing, or during activities or events involving conversations with others;
- When outdoor workers work in open spaces;
- When people are in forests/mountains (including forest recreation areas) and on the beach;
- When people are in hot/cold springs, dry sauna rooms, spas, steam rooms, saunas, during water activities, or in venues where masks can get wet easily.
- Masks may be removed when consuming food/beverages outside.
- Masks may be temporarily removed in venues or during activities (e.g. art performers performing a show, film crews/TV news anchors when filming, and athletes and referees participating in sports competitions) that comply with the CECC’s or competent authority’s epidemic prevention and control rules.
Taiwan plans to further relax its mask rules in the coming months, so these requirements may change by the time you travel.
What are my flight options?
Before COVID-19, there were more than 80 direct flights each week between Singapore to Taipei and Kaohsiung.
Capacity has been scaled back significantly, although the following airlines are still offering service (figures in brackets refer to schedule from November onwards):
- China Airlines (7x weekly)
- EVA Air (14x weekly)
- Scoot (18x weekly)
- Starlux (7x weekly)
- Singapore Airlines (7x weekly)
If you have KrisFlyer miles, you can redeem award tickets on either Singapore Airlines or EVA Air:
(redeemed via KrisFlyer) |
||
One-way | Saver | Advantage |
Economy Class | 16,500 miles | 30,000 miles |
Business Class | 34,000 miles | 50,000 miles |
(redeemed via KrisFlyer) |
||
One-way | Saver | |
Economy Class | 16,500 miles | |
Business Class | 46,000 miles |
Given the popularity of Taiwan, it’s quite likely that airfares will skyrocket for year-end travel. I’d recommend exploring some of the lesser-known carriers like Starlux (a premium airline startup) and setting fare alerts using a tool like Skyscanner or Google Flights.
You can also consider taking one-stop flights via Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok since connecting flights tend to be cheaper.
Conclusion
Taiwan is set to reopen its borders for quarantine-free travel from 13 October 2022, ending more than 30 months of isolation. This is welcome news for Singaporeans indeed, although the retention of on-arrival testing means the possibility of mandatory isolation can’t be disregarded.
A combination of pent-up demand and the year-end rush is likely to lead to eye-watering airfares, though that’s the price you’ll need to pay if you want to be an early adopter. If you can hold off for a little longer, you’re likely to find better deals during the March or June holiday period.
Read these next:
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Surviving “Summergeddon”: How To Protect Yourself From Overseas Travel Meltdowns
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