Preventing Re-Emergence of COVID-19: A National Survey of Public Risk Perceptions and Behavioural Intentions Concerning Travel Plan Among Taiwanese.

The objectives of this study were to investigate risk perceptions and travel intention among the general public in Taiwan during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study used a cross-sectional online survey to collect data. The questionnaire was disseminated via the social media platform (LINE and Facebook) to the general public. A total of 3,237 complete responses were received, of whom 5.8% (95% CI 5.1-6.7) of the participants reported intent to travel to overseas countries with an apparent community spread and 5.5% (95% CI 4.7-6.3) reported intent to travel to other overseas countries in the next 1 month. A relatively higher proportion (46.5%; 95% CI 44.7-48.2) reported intention for domestic travelling. Participants who viewed travelling to only be risky for older adults or those with medical conditions (OR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.38-3.47) and who perceived that one will not get infected if one takes recommended precautionary measures (OR = 3.12; 95% CI 1.85-5.27) reported higher travelling intention to overseas countries with an apparent community spread. Overall, the findings suggest that risk perceptions were depicted as a strong influence of travel intentions.