Dear Taiwan Fellowship visiting scholars,

Due to the recent outbreak of Coronavirus COVID-19, many global academic activities have been affected. As a member of the global community, Taiwan has a sound public health environment and strict disease control measures. Meanwhile, we want to share our experience in combating diseases with other countries around the world. In order to ensure the safety of residents and foreigners living in Taiwan, our government enforced the following measures to effectively control the spread of the Coronavirus:

1. Quarantine measures for high-risk flights from China;
2. Big data analysis collecting from Taiwan National Health Insurance (NHI) database, National Immigration Agency (NIA) and customs to track people's travel history, clinical symptoms as well as other information, which can promptly confirm potential infection cases;
3. Quarantine electronic system through mobile phones which allows to track home quarantine people;
4. Health inquiries service by toll-free hotline (1922) connecting Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
5. Rationing system with the NHI card in preventing panic buying, hoarding, and profiteering over face masks amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Foreigners with ARC card shares the same rationing with Taiwan citizens. Adults can buy 3 masks every 7 days, while 5 masks every 7 days are reserved for children under the age of 13;
6. Assistance for those who are diagnosed with coronavirus or troubled by quarantine;
7. Release of Chinese and English news in CDC daily press conferences in order to provide authoritative information and prevent fake news on mass media.

To provide the best academic services to The Taiwan Fellowship recipients, the National Central Library (NCL) needs your cooperation and assistance regarding the following matters:

1. For inquiries about Taiwan’s disease control policies or latest implementation of our government, please visit, before your arrival to Taiwan, the official website of Taiwan Centers for Disease Control at https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En

2. Considering the epidemic situation, if you plan to adjust the research period to come to Taiwan this year, our suggestion are as follow:
(a) Please see the application form attached hereby and apply with your local ROC (Taiwan) embassy or representative office. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will then review the proposal. Even if approval is granted, research must be completed within the same calendar year (before December 31);
(b) The latest arrival will be 14 September 2020;
(c) If you decide to renounce the fellowship, please contact both your local ROC (Taiwan) embassy or representative office and our center.

3. For the scholars already in Taiwan, during this period, if you have any request for getting our library's materials without coming along, please contact us by email: twjob@ncl.edu.tw

With the best wishes from the National Central Library,

Dr. Tseng Shu-hsien
Director-General of the National Central Library
Director of Center for Chinese Studies