The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reiterated that medical-grade masks bearing the debossed markings “MD” and “Made In Taiwan” can only be purchased through the government’s mask rationing system.
The CECC has required local mask suppliers to produce masks bearing the markings by Sept. 24 to help people identify Taiwanese-made medical-grade masks.
Asked about an Internet user posting an image of such a mask they claimed to have bought on an online retail platform, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC’s spokesman, said that the CECC would look into the matter to clarify whether the mask is a genuine product sold before the government ordered the requisition of such masks or whether it is a counterfeit.
Photo: Chang Tsung-chiu, Taipei Times
Asked if local medical-grade mask manufacturers that are not in the “national team” of suppliers that provide masks for the rationing system can also produce and sell masks bearing the markings, Chuang said they cannot, as the government has since Thursday been requisitioning all such masks.
Separately yesterday, the CECC reported two imported cases of COVID-19, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 509.
Case No. 508 is a Taiwanese in his 20s who traveled to Indonesia for work in June, Chuang said.
He developed a fever and lost his sense of smell on Thursday, but did not see a doctor and returned to Taiwan on Saturday, Chuang said, adding that he was tested for COVID-19 at the airport because he still had a fever and was isolated at a hospital.
He tested positive yesterday, and 14 passengers who sat near him on the flight to Taiwan have been put under home isolation, Chuang said.
Case No. 509 is a Taiwanese in his 30s who traveled to Myanmar for business in April and returned on Thursday, he said.
The man, who did not show any symptoms, was staying at a quarantine hotel when another passenger (case No. 505) who sat one row behind him on the flight back to Taiwan was confirmed to have COVID-19, prompting authorities to place case No. 509 under home isolation.
He developed a cough on Thursday night and was taken to a hospital the next day, when he also developed a fever and lost his sense of smell, Chuang said, adding that he tested positive yesterday.
Cases 509 and 505 are not acquainted, and only sat close to each other on the plane, he said.
Twelve of the 16 passengers who sat close to case No. 509 had already been put under home isolation and an additional four passengers were placed in home isolation yesterday due to case No. 505, he added.
The duties of people under home quarantine and home isolation are similar, Chuang said.
Home quarantine applies to all travelers who arrive in Taiwan and they are checked on by local borough officials, while home isolation is for people who have come into close contact with a confirmed case and they are checked on by local health department officials, he said.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) yesterday apologized after the suicide of a civil servant earlier this month and announced that a supervisor accused of workplace bullying would be demoted. On Nov. 4, a 39-year-old information analyst at the Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) northern branch, which covers greater Taipei and Keelung, as well as Yilan, Lienchiang and Kinmen counties, was found dead in their office. WDA northern branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), who has been accused of involvement in workplace bullying, would be demoted to a nonsupervisory position, Ho told a news conference in Taipei. WDA Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said he would
RSS