Even the best-laid plans go awry — much less a 20-day tour in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A woman from Singapore ended up sleeping rough on the streets of Taiwan and seeking shelter in a police station after her March 30 flight back home was cancelled, police from New Taipei said in a Facebook post on Sunday (April 5).
Tan Peh Yee, who is reportedly in her 20s, had arrived in Taiwan on March 11.
This was before the Singapore government advised all residents to defer all non-essential travel abroad on March 15.
Tan’s first 14 days in Taiwan were spent in voluntary self-isolation at her accommodation although the Taiwanese government only announced measures requiring travellers from Singapore to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine on March 17.
She had planned to fly back to Singapore on March 30 but decided to extend her hiking trip when she received news that her flight was delayed due to the Covid-19 situation, said reports.
However, this left her with limited funds for the rest of her trip, leading her to spend the night at Yehliu Geopark on March 31.
Tan’s situation came to light when a patrolling officer spotted her loitering around a convenience store and approached her to check on her.
She then confessed that she was planning to spend the night under the canvas tentage in the park’s car park before heading to her next destination.
Due to the stormy weather that night, he brought her back to the police station to seek shelter, even giving her warm water, toast and instant noodles, the police confirmed.
They also helped Tan repair her torn sleeping bag.
And their hospitality didn’t end there — Tan received another care package containing some food and essentials before she set off the next day.
A police spokesperson said, “Our colleagues took the initiative to verify her identity, exercising empathy while performing their duties in the frontline and serving the public.
“They have received sincere appreciation from the Singaporean tourist for sheltering her and keeping her safe during the storm.”
A check online shows that there are still flights from several Taiwanese cities including Taipei and Kaohsiung heading to Singapore this month.
AsiaOne has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.
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