The nation yesterday reported no new cases of COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said, adding that 311 patients have been removed from isolation after recovering.
It was the fourth consecutive day with no new confirmed cases and the 17th consecutive day with no new domestic cases.
People can feel light-hearted regardless of whether they plan stay at home or travel during the International Workers’ Day long weekend, but they should not let their guard down, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
The CECC’s goal now is to withdraw the line of defense back to “individuals,” meaning that if everyone in society can maintain good personal hygiene and practice social distancing, the chain of infection between people would be broken, preventing large-scale outbreaks, and regulations could gradually be loosened, allowing people to lead more normal lives, he said.
“Everyone is happy to hear that there are no new cases, but it does not mean there are no sources of infection anymore, so it is important that everyone foster good living habits,” Chen said.
Asked whether hostess bars and nightclubs that were ordered to suspend operations could reopen, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), deputy head of the center, said that the CECC thanks local governments and businesses for their cooperation, but hopes that they can “hold on for a little longer.”
Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
The center is still observing the COVID-19 situation, as well as how well people perform in conducting self-health management, he said.
Local governments have ordered recreational facilities to implement real-name registration systems to keep track of customers, Chen said.
Asked about an interview with Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) published in the Chinese-language Mirror Media weekly yesterday — in which he cited an Academia Sinica research team as suggesting that there might be six types of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and that viral evolutionary changes might lead to a higher mortality rate — CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that it is possible that changes to the virus could lead to a higher mortality rate, but the rate could also be affected by other factors.
As Taiwan has a relatively low incidence rate and high-quality healthcare, it has a low mortality rate, he said.
However, the mortality rate could increase if the healthcare system were overwhelmed, he added.
Seven patients in Taiwan are on a ventilator in intensive care units, but their conditions are relatively stable, Chang said.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)