The Executive Yuan yesterday decided to suspend the issuance of visas to people from China, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore and Vietnam for two weeks as the nation saw its first death from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The visa measures will be implemented from Sunday midnight in the affected countries.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSRONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Those permitted to enter the country must be put under a 10-day compulsory quarantine. Violators will be subject to a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 and a jail term of up to two years.
If the person still refuses to be isolated, the government does not rule out the possibility of putting the person at a government-designated location for the 10-day compulsory quarantine.
The government-designated location, which can accommodate 2,700 people, is located at a newly reconstructed military base in Yungmei, Taoyuan County. The 36-hectare complex was originally a military cadet training camp. The venue will only quarter healthy residents.
In addition, as a token of appreciation, the Cabinet will reward doctors and nurses taking care of SARS patients NT$10,000 and NT$3,000 a day respectively.
The provisional measure will be re-examined in two weeks.
Addressing the press conference held at the Executive Yuan yesterday morning, Premier Yu Shyi-kun said the new measure is designed to strengthen previous ones.
"To help the Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital better deal with its problem and to create a cleaner environment for the 23 million Taiwanese people, the compulsory quarantine measure is necessary," Yu said.
Since the outbreak last month, the Cabinet has adopted various measures to combat what Yu called the "invisible enemy" of SARS.
On Friday, the Cabinet stopped issuing landing visas to visitors from Hong Kong for a month. They will instead have to apply for a visa ahead of their departure.
On Thursday, the Cabinet banned the entry of most kinds of visitors from China's Guangdong Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia and Beijing.
The measure, however, does not apply to Chinese spouses and children of Taiwanese who want to reunite with their family members in Taiwan.
The new measure imposed yesterday suspends the issuance of visitor and residence visas to those from severely SARS-affected areas for two weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed China, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore and Vietnam as severely SARS affected areas.
China's hardest-hit areas include Beijing, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi.
Citizens of these areas who hold a multiple-entry Taiwan visa would also be denied entry.
The government will not issue visas to Chinese professionals unless their visit is deemed necessary.
Citizens of China and Hong Kong permitted to enter the country must be put under a 10-day mandatory quarantine.
Chinese spouses and children of Taiwanese who want to reunite with their family members in Taiwan must be put under the 10-day mandatory quarantine at home with their cohabitants after returning.
Taiwanese nationals returning from those affected areas must be quarantined for 10 days either at home or at work.
As of 2pm yesterday, reported SARS cases nationwide reached 339, 53 more than the previous day. Probable cases remained at 55 and suspected cases at 72, the CDC said.
According to the CDC, 91 cases have been ruled out as SARS and 121 cases are still to be verified.
No further deaths have been reported as of press time yesterday.
According to the latest update of the WHO, released on Saturday, a cumulative total of 4,836 cases with 293 deaths have been reported in 26 countries.
China has reported 2,753 probable SARS cases, with 122 deaths.
Hong Kong health authorities reported a 1,527 cases and 121 deaths.
While Canada's biggest city, Toronto, recorded its 18th death in its battle against SARS out of 142 cases, Singapore reported of 98 cases with 21 deaths.
The situation in Vietnam has remained stable, at 63 cases and 5 deaths, for 18 consecutive days.
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