Job Discussion Forums

superscott777 · Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 10 Location: the T-dot

Does anyone know if Taiwan is issuing visas to Canadians yet? Is there still a travel ban on us? Will we be quarantined upon arrival? Has there been a change in salaries since this thing began? Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?

K and S

sypanda5 · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 57 Location: HK

superscott777,
as far as i know (and i try to keep up-to-date as much as possible), you are OK now. they DID have a ban on Canadians...but they seemed to have lifted that now....
SO..you will NOT be quarantined. But, of course, any person coming in from any place who has symptoms of SARS (fever of 38 degrees or more) will be quarantined.....

you can check these sites out for uptodate info!
http://www.sars.ca/
http://www.who.int/en/

hope that helps!

(oh..and no...unfortunately no RAISE in salaries!) hahah..wishful thinking for all of us! Wink

superscott777 · Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 10 Location: the T-dot

hi sypanda, thank you very much for your helpful and informative reply! you've put our minds at ease. the link to SARS.ca was also a great help. i guess we'll be seeing you on the crazy roads of taiwan soon.
k and s

sypanda5 · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 57 Location: HK

hello K AND S! Smile

I'm glad that i could help! Smile

so..when are you planning on coming? need any help? do you have jobs yet? if you need any more help/advice,e tc. feel free to email/pm me! Smile

i'd be glad to help!
(I know what it was like first coming to taiwan not knowing what to expect or do or anything....)

superscott777 · Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 10 Location: the T-dot

hi again panda,
you are so very nice and helpful. we appreciate your kindness. we've actually been in taiwan for the past few years, but took a semester off to rest and then the SARS thing happened. We're supposed to go back to our school in july but we're a little concerned about this. what do you think? do you feel safe enough? is everyone walking around with masks on like some bad sci-fi movie? by the way, which town do you live in? is it worse in some areas than others?
thanks again, k and s

sypanda5 · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 57 Location: HK

hey k and s,
i live and work in Chong Ho (end of the orange line on the MRT). (15 min MRT ride to Taipei Main Station)

I totally think it's ok to be here..OBVIOUSLY some areas may not be as "safe" as others (some would say by the hoping hospital and now wanhua area) but in general, EVERYBODY Is being extra cautious. You get your temperature measured when you go ANYWHERE (some stores, pharmacies, banks, dept. stores, movies theatres, clubs, ANYWHERE!) but you just get used to it. YES. many people are wearing masks..(it's not MANDATORY to wear a mask on the MRT) but there are also some who are not!

i think we hear most about SARS cases in Taipei, not so much in other places - dont know if that means there aren't any cases..or they just aren't being reported?!

Don't know.....
FYI - they say that things should be "settled" /calmed down /more controlled within the next few weeks..(4-6 weeks)...

good luck! Wink

superscott777 · Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 10 Location: the T-dot

thanks again panda. you've been a great help to us and put our minds at ease. we'll be back in taichung by september at the latest, if you're ever in town. Very Happy

k and s

WorkingVaca · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 135

As of Monday, it is mandatory to wear a mask on the MRT. About cases on other parts of the island, there have been regular reports in the local dailies (China Post and Taipei Times). Yesterday for instance, a hospital in Kaoshuing was reported to have an outbreak, setting Taiwan back a few steps in its quest to get things under control.

I agree there's no need to for those of us already here to panic and buy a plane ticket out just yet. But, I've had some friends tell me that too many student cancellations in the last few weeks are making it pretty hard to stay, financially speaking. SARS has created a hysteria that's keeping people home. It's affecting the economy. Before coming, you should consider that work might be a bit harder to find at the moment and be prepared to support yourself a bit longer than you normally would. Good luck.