Tag Entry

Entry

Taipei, Sept. 5, 2022 (dpa/NAN) Taiwan will allow visa-free entry again for visitors from more than 20 countries from next week, the Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) said on Monday.

CECC director Wang Pi-sheng said at a press conference that from Sept. 12, visa-free entry would be allowed for citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and Taiwan’s 14 formal diplomatic allies.

Wang said the move was made in light of the fact that many countries had already reopened their borders according to pre-pandemic regulations.

He said it would also balance the needs of continued pandemic control with the promotion of economic growth, social activity and international interaction.

Wang said whether the liberalisation was  expanded would depend on the progress of pandemic control.

He urged travelers to Taiwan to absolutely abide by the requirement of “three days quarantine and four days health self-management” and other pandemic prevention measures.

The CECC said that 34,358 new cases were confirmed Sunday, including 232 imported cases, and that 35 persons had died from the disease.

According to CECC data, Taiwan has had a total of 10,094 deaths from COVID-19, of which 10,078 were from domestic cases. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ummul Idris/Chioma Ugboma

Rules

Riga (Latvia), Aug. 18, 2022 (dpa/NAN) Estonia’s tightened restrictions for Russian nationals wishing to enter the Baltic country came into force on Thursday.

Earlier in the week, the Tallinn government had announced it would stop issuing Estonian visas to Russian citizens and would bar entry to Russian citizens holding Estonian-issued tourism, business, sports or culture visas.

However, Russian nationals with a visa issued by one of the other Schengen countries or who are already in the Schengen area would still be able to enter Estonia.

The Schengen area includes most European Union countries and facilitates free movement in the bloc.

Estonia will also continue to issue visas in certain cases, including for Russian diplomats and their families and Russians visiting a close relative who is an Estonian citizen or long-term resident.

Additional visa checks will be carried out at the three border crossings between Russia and Estonia: Narva, Luhamaa and Koidula, an Interior Ministry spokesperson said.

Estonia has been campaigning with Latvia and Finland, both of which also have borders with Russia for an EU-wide ban on tourist visas for Russians in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

But the European Commission and Germany are so far against the proposal.

The Czech Republic held the presidency of the EU and was also limiting Russian visas planned to raise the issue at a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August.

About 2,500 Russian citizens cross the border into Estonia every day almost half of them on tourist visas, according to Estonian border and police authorities.

The number of these visas issued by Estonia and other Schengen states was roughly equal, a spokesman in Tallinn told dpa. (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Ese E. Eniola Williams