The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed four imported cases of COVID-19 in people who had all provided negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results within three days before boarding a plane to Taiwan, but tested positive after completing 14 days of quarantine.
One is a Filipina worker in her 20s who arrived on Nov. 26, had no symptoms and was quarantined in a hotel until Friday, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC spokesman.
The woman took a paid test on Saturday, which came back positive yesterday, he said, adding that 10 people who joined her for a meal while she was waiting for the result are isolating at home.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
Another case is a Filipino worker in his 20s who arrived on Nov. 20, did not show any symptoms and tested negative when he finished his quarantine at a centralized facility on Dec. 3, he said.
The man practiced seven days of self-health management and took another paid test on Saturday, which came back positive yesterday, he said.
The third is an Indonesian fisherman who arrived on Nov. 26, showed no symptoms and stayed in a quarantine hotel until Thursday, but tested positive in a paid test on Friday, Chuang said.
Nine people who took the same vehicle to the hospital as the fisher without wearing a mask are isolating at home, he added.
The fourth is an Indonesian worker in her 40s who arrived on Nov. 19, showed no symptoms and stayed at a centralized quarantine facility, Chuang said.
She tested negative twice in an extended testing project on Nov. 28 and before ending quarantine on Dec. 2.
The woman stayed in a dormitory from Dec. 4, moved to a residential unit on Monday last week and was asked by her employer to take a test on Friday, which came back positive yesterday, he said, adding that another worker who stayed in the same dormitory room with her is under home isolation.
“All four cases tested positive after completing quarantine and had no symptoms. They might have contracted the infection for a longer period of time, so the tests came out a mix of negative and positive results,” he said.
Most of the Indonesian workers are domestic caregivers who take care of elderly people, so the quarantine regulations are stricter, he said.
If they showed symptoms within 14 days before arriving in Taiwan, they can report their condition at the airport and get tested or receive treatment paid by the government, he said.
One possible reason why there were more confirmed asymptomatic cases among Indonesian workers might be due to the language barrier or personal concern about reporting their health condition or symptoms before arriving in Taiwan, he said.
The recent confirmed cases of migrant workers testing positive after quarantine mostly had PCR test cycle threshold values of more than 30, indicating a lower viral load and a relatively low risk of transmitting the disease to other people, he said.
In related news, the National Immigration Agency said that foreign nationals who entered Taiwan on or before March 21 and have been unable to return home because of COVID-19 can get another 30-day visa extension.
The extension applies to foreign nationals who entered visa-free or on a visitor’s or landing visa, and have no record of overstaying, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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