The Cabinet yesterday extended a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert until June 28 as the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported 211 locally transmitted cases and 26 deaths.
The CECC on May 15 issued the level 3 alert for Taipei and New Taipei City, saying it would last until May 28. Four days later, it expanded the alert to the entire nation before announcing on May 28 that the alert period had been extended to Monday next week.
The latest extension was announced following a disease prevention meeting at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, called on people to continue complying with the restrictions.
They include wearing a mask at all times when outdoors, he said, adding that those who fail to do so would be fined without warning.
Indoor gatherings of more than four people and outdoor gatherings of more than nine are still banned, and people should avoid unnecessary travel, as well as gatherings, Chen said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Business venues and government agencies are required to implement crowd and flow controls, a mask mandate and social distancing rules, while people must follow the disease prevention rules of each venue they visit, he said.
People should monitor their health and seek medical attention if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, he added.
Recreational, entertainment, exhibition, performance, education and learning venues are temporarily closed, Chen said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Inspections would be conducted at recreational and entertainment venues, and if they are found to be operating illegally, the owner, on-site employees and customers would be fined, he said.
Restaurants can only offer takeout and delivery, and markets and stores must enhance crowd and flow controls, while people should go shopping less frequently and buy in bulk to avoid visiting markets, he added.
Wedding banquets, public funeral ceremonies and religious gatherings are temporarily banned, while religious venues are temporarily closed to the public, Chen said.
Workplaces should follow the CECC’s business continuity guidelines, initiate responsive working arrangements, such as remote working and flexible working hours, while maintaining good personal and workplace hygiene, he said, adding that public venues and public transport should increase environmental disinfection.
Visiting patients at healthcare facilities and long-term care facilities is temporarily banned, with a few exceptions. Only one person can accompany a hospitalized patient at a time, with strict personnel and access controls, and the health condition of the visitor should be monitored daily.
Meanwhile, the CECC yesterday reported that of the 211 new local infections, 82 people live in New Taipei City, followed by Taipei with 60 and Miaoli County with 45.
Changhua County reported eight cases; Hsinchu City, Taoyuan, Keelung and Penghu County reported three each; and Yilan, Chiayi, Pingtung and Hsinchu counties reported one each.
The 26 deaths were 20 men and six women, aged from their 50s to their 90s, Chen said, adding that they died from May 31 to Sunday.
CECC specialist advisory panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that among the more than 200 deaths reported from May 11 to Wednesday, about 40 percent died about eight to 14 days after developing symptoms, and about 18 percent died two to three days after the onset of symptoms.
While most of the local cases were the Alpha variant, the center has collected samples from the deceased patients for viral genome sequencing, as it is concerned that there might be mutations, he said.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said that there are 106 rapid screening stations across the nation.
MEDIGEN: The vaccine must also be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices before it is added to the national vaccination program An emergency use authorization (EUA) for Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp’s (高端疫苗) COVID-19 vaccine — MVC-COV1901 — for people aged 20 and older was issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said a specialists’ meeting was held at the FDA on Sunday to review Medigen’s application to manufacture and distribute its COVID-19 vaccine, and the panel approved it. FDA Director Wu Hsiu-mei (吳秀梅) said the meeting consisted of 21 specialists from the fields of chemistry, manufacturing and controls, pharmacy, toxicology, clinical medicine, public health, law and medical ethics. There were no major concerns over
LAND ALERT UNCERTAIN: The CWB was waiting to observe how In-Fa shifts as it moves north to determine when to issue a land alert, a forecaster at the bureau said Residents of northern Taiwan should brace for heavy rain today and tomorrow as Typhoon In-Fa approaches the northeast, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday. A land alert for the typhoon would be issued depending on the angle at which it moves north today, the bureau said. The bureau on Wednesday issued a sea alert for the typhoon, which applies to ships operating off the nation’s northern, northeastern and southeastern coasts. As of 8:30pm yesterday, In-Fa’s center was 470km southeast of Taipei, moving northwest at 6kph. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 180kph, and had a radius of 200km. The typhoon was moving
‘BREAKTHROUGH’: All countries should be free to pursue closer ties with Taiwan, a leading democracy, a major economy, and a force for good in the world, the AIT said Taiwan is to establish a “Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania,” the first office in Europe to be called Taiwanese, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. “It is an important diplomatic breakthrough,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wrote on Facebook, thanking diplomatic personnel for the significant achievement. To expand the nation’s relations with central and eastern Europe, especially with Baltic nations, the government decided to establish the office in Vilnius, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told an online news conference. The plan signals progress in Taiwan-Europe relations, as it has been 18 years since the nation last opened an office on the
TARGET RAISED: The CECC said vaccination coverage has reached 24.35%, while Premier Su Tseng-chang said the government hopes for 30% by the end of July The government has signed a contract to buy an additional 36 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, 1 million of which are to be delivered in the fourth quarter, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday, as it updated its vaccination target to 30 percent coverage by the end of the month. The two-year deal with the US company covers “prime series” vaccines and future booster shots to protect against SARS-CoV-2 variants, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) quoted Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as saying during an Executive Yuan meeting in Taipei. In the two weeks since vaccine registration opened, more than 9.8
RSS