The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 312 new local COVID-19 cases and called on local governments to implement disease prevention measures consistent with pandemic alert level 3 guidelines.
“The outbreak is still at its peak,” Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a news conference in Taipei, calling on the public to reduce nonessential travel over this weekend.
Next week is crucial to determine whether Taiwan’s measures to contain an accelerating outbreak of the virus centered in Taipei and New Taipei City have been successful, he said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Among the 312 new cases — 170 male and 142 female — the majority live in northern Taiwan: 144 in New Taipei City, 127 in Taipei and 13 in Taoyuan, Chen said.
He said that 107 of them had recently been to Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), adding that 73 had visited teahouses, six had links to a civic group, five had links to a fruit vendor and 24 had no traceable sources of infection.
The infection sources of 72 cases are unclear, and the source of 25 infections is under investigation, Chen said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
The center on Wednesday raised the nationwide pandemic alert to level 3, following level 3 alerts imposed in Taipei and New Taipei City on Saturday last week.
Asked whether the CECC might raise the alert to level 4, Chen reiterated his previous statement that the center has no such a plan.
CECC guidelines prescribe that the alert should be raised to level 4 if an average of 100 daily cases or more is reported for two straight weeks, with half of them having no identifiable source.
Under a level 4 alert, most business activities would be suspended, as well as classes at schools, and people would be required to stay at home if not for essential activities.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Wednesday said that the city is adopting measures close to a level 4 alert, calling on residents to brace for tightened regulations.
Regarding whether to raise the alert level, the center also considers additional factors to assess the COVID-19 risk in Taiwan, Chen said yesterday, adding that only a quarter to one-third of the recently reported cases were not traceable.
Despite the center of the outbreak being in the north, the CECC aims to set consistent standards for the whole nation, as this would make disease prevention easier, he said.
Asked if the center would follow the Taipei and New Taipei City governments in implementing a ban on dining at food stalls in wet and night markets, as well as food courts at markets, Chen said that there is no need under level 3 alert guidelines.
Level 3 guidelines require eateries to record contact information of visitors, and if they are unable to do so, they can only serve take-out customers, Chen said.
The center yesterday also reported three new imported cases, arrivals from the US, the Philippines and Canada.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old