TECO in Guam Director-general Paul Chen (second left) joins Guam Governor Lourdes Aflague Leon Guerrero (second right) during the sendoff ceremony for the China Airlines charter flight Jan. 11 at A.B. Won Pat International Airport Guam. (Courtesy of TECO in Guam)

A medical charter flight from Guam touched down at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Jan. 11, spotlighting how Taiwan Can Help during global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operated by Taoyuan City-based China Airlines Co. Ltd. in northern Taiwan, the flight carried 47 passengers, including five individuals from Guam seeking medical treatment along with accompanying family members and ROC (Taiwan) nationals stranded in the U.S. territory.

During a sendoff ceremony held at A.B. Won Pat International Airport Guam, Paul Chen, director-general of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam, said the flight is expected to raise Taiwan’s international visibility while underscoring the government’s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance.

In response, Guam Governor Lourdes Aflague Leon Guerrero said medical emergencies do not stop during pandemics, adding that the charter flight is ensuring her people get the care they need and deserve.

According to TECO in Guam, coronavirus made international travel virtually impossible for most of 2020, preventing many in Guam from traveling to Taiwan for medical treatment and stranding Taiwan residents in the U.S. territory.

Chen said the flight would be the first of several, adding that the mission has taken on even greater significance since the Jan. 10 announcement by the U.S. State Department lifting restrictions on bilateral exchanges.

TECO in Guam said the patients will receive medical care at Taichung City-based China Medical University Hospital and Kaohsiung City-based E-Da Hospital in central and southern Taiwan, respectively, after undergoing required quarantine procedures. (SFC-E)