The families of those who have contracted severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) will be entitled to up to NT$100,000 in compensation from the social affairs departments of local governments, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday.
The amount of compensation will depend on the financial situation of the family and the number of dependents.
Under the mechanism designed by the ministry, if the main income earner in a family dies of SARS or is unable to work because of the disease, the person's family would be entitled to between NT$20,000 and NT$30,000. If the family includes school-age children or disabled people, an additional NT$10,000 to NT$70,000 could be awarded.
"Most citizens we interviewed [who had SARS] admitted that they didn't need social security assistance from us," said Chiu Ru-na (邱汝娜), director of the Department of Social Affairs under the Ministry of the Interior.
"But this system would be able to provide social-security services right away if people with low incomes are infected in the coming weeks," Chiu said.
Officials from the social affairs departments of local governments will be required to visit SARS patients to assess their financial situation immediately after the health departments have been notified of their condition.
No SARS-related deaths have been reported in the country so far, although about 100 suspected cases have been reported, 13 of which are considered "probable."
Meanwhile, labor rights groups yesterday urged the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) to protect the rights of those workers infected with SARS.
"Four of the eight confirmed SARS cases are workers. The CLA should set up a policy to fight SARS in the workplace right away," said Ku Yu-Ling (顧玉玲), secretary-general of the Taiwan Association for Victims of Occupational Injuries.
The association said that the rights of flight attendants, waiters and waitresses and staff at travel agencies had been ignored, since most of the employers did not allow their employees to wear masks.
Ku argued that the Ministry of Education had announced that any school where two students had contracted the disease would be temporarily closed, but the CLA had established no corresponding rule for the private sector.
As the CLA has said that employers of quarantined workers were not required to pay them on days they couldn't work, the association demanded that the CLA provide compensation from the Employment Security Fund (就業安定基金).
"The CLA should actively investigate whether the confirmed cases of SARS are work-related, but not demand infected workers to provide evidence," Ku said.
In response, the CLA said that it would promote measures to prevent the spread of SARS in workplaces.
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