On June 17, the World Health Organization announced that Taiwan would be removed from the travel advisory list at once because of the nation's tenacity and effectiveness in fighting SARS.

WHO virologist Cathy Roth, who was in Taiwan in May, remarked: "The SARS crisis in Taiwan has been taken very seriously at all levels.... SARS has stimulated vast and very rapid improvements in health infrastructure, especially in the areas of hospital infection control procedures, systems for data collection, mobilization of the public, and in the coordination of all agencies responding to the outbreak. We hope all of these improvements are permanent."

After receiving the news that Taiwan was being taken off the SARS travel advisory, Premier Yu Shyi-kun called a press conference to thank all the health care personnel who had worked so conscientiously, and to praise the public for their cooperation and support. Premier Yu emphasized that Taiwan's removal from the SARS travel advisory list not only affirmed the striving of all the people of Taiwan, but also announced to the world that Taiwan is no longer an area of risk: "We are ready to welcome all our international friends back to Taiwan for both business and pleasure."

Li Ming-liang, the Executive Yuan's director of the battle against SARS, who has himself endured health problems, was especially happy when he heard the news. At the press conference he turned to Premier Yu to ask: "Premier, can I go home now?" Li said that combating SARS had not been just one person's job, and that Taiwan has been successful because everyone has worked together.

He also reminded the nation that SARS is still a threat, and that removal from the travel advisory list does not mean that the enemy has been completely subdued. Although Taiwan has been taken off the travel advisory, the nation is still listed as an infected area, in the same category as Toronto, Canada. The WHO recommends that Taiwan should continue to examine departing visitors. According to Department of Health statistics to June 23rd, Taiwan's SARS tally included 687 probable cases, resulting in 84 deaths, and 51 people were still undergoing critical-phase care in the hospital.

Health minister Chen Chien-jen said that to be removed from the list of infected areas, Taiwan must be free of new cases for a period of 20 days. Department of Health officials emphasized that in order to have Taiwan removed from the infected areas list, every hospital must maintain to the full its infection control procedures, and the general public should continue to monitor their body temperature and keep high standards of personal hygiene, especially washing hands regularly.

Hospitals throughout the country will continue to isolate patients with high temperatures, and the 139 fever screening centers and 194 fever screening stations will continue to operate across Taiwan. People living in homes for the elderly, nursing homes, or other institutions as well as those in home quarantine will continue to be closely monitored with regular temperature checks.

The Department of Health recently invited other ministries such as the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of the Interior to discuss current SARS policies. One of their more important conclusions is that people will still be required to wear masks on trains and the MRT until June 25th. Regarding the policy of home quarantine for people coming from infected areas overseas, the Mainland Affairs Council states that the requirement for home quarantine for anyone returning to Taiwan from mainland China will be maintained at least until June 30th, and the government will first address the controls on people arriving from Hong Kong, to gradually restore the granting of various types of visa to Hong Kong residents.