In the light of local governments' recent defiance of the central government in the battle against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday called on the public to restore "Taiwanese values" in the face of the global outbreak.
"As Taiwan is a society of immigrants, our ancestors have taught us the true value of unity and cooperation," Yu said in a press release made available yesterday. "Only with the precious gift of Taiwanese values they handed down to us can we beat this deadly outbreak."
Yu made the remarks yesterday morning during a closed-door meeting with the nation's 23 county commissioners and city mayors.
During the three-hour conference, Yu requested that local government chiefs cooperate with the central government and fully implement SARS prevention measures in their constituencies.
Yu was referring to an incident on Monday in which Hsinchu Mayor Lin Junq-tzer (
Residents of Yuanchung township, Yunlin County, also staged a protest on Monday to oppose the incineration of medical waste from the TMHH in their township.
As the disease is expected to peak over the next 10 days, Yu said that the critical 14-day incubation period is the key to controlling the outbreak.
"If we unite, we have to endure this for only 14 days. If not, it may take 28 days or even longer," Yu said.
Citing the successful example of Vietnam, Yu said that he is confident the nation will eventually win the battle against the virus.
As 42 percent of SARS cases have been transmitted inside the medical facilities, Yu called on the public to cut down on hospital visits.
Yu also said that the government plans to follow the designation of the Armed Forces Sungshan Hospital in Taipei as a SARS treatment center with announcements of other medical institutions in the north, south, east and west of the nation that have been primed to deal with the SARS situation.
Sixty-five medical institutions nationwide have so far set aside 580 beds for SARS patients.
Yu said that if a hospital refuses to take in SARS patients, its chief executive will be prosecuted and may face a prison term of up to seven years.
During the meeting between the premier and chiefs of local governments, Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chih-hsiung (
Hsu said that hospitals rejecting SARS patients or garbage-processing facilities refusing to process waste from hospitals holding SARS patients will be charged with interfering with official government duties, a crime that carries stiff punishments.
A chief executive of such a facility could face a prison term of three to six years, Yu said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice announced yesterday that all district prosecutors have been instructed to investigate people who have hindered authorities' efforts to contain SARS.
A ministry news release said that people who have refused to have their temperatures taken, fled from quarantine zones or staged protests against the authorized SARS-related waste disposal measures could face prosecution.
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