To better protect the nation's healthcare personnel caring for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patients, the Executive Yuan yesterday said it would insure medical staff for NT$10 million each as part of a new anti-SARS insurance policy.
"We expect the finance ministry and health department to present a more detailed plan to the premier for final approval," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
The meeting, presided over by Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (
Concrete measures hammered out yesterday included encouraging the public to inform health authorities about suspected SARS cases, suspending the holding of large-scale activities, promoting the importance of personal hygiene, making public correct and timely SARS-related information and necessary warnings, establishing SARS-related information Web sites, tracking recovered SARS patients and fully implementing the 10-day domestic quarantine policy.
According to the health department, a total of 7,164 people have been put under the 10-day domestic quarantine, 2,217 of which have been removed from the list.
As of yesterday afternoon, an accumulative total of 643 cases have been reported, with eight deaths. Probable SARS cases have risen from 100 to 102. Suspected cases have increased from 97 to 102, with 45 having been discharged from hospitals and 57 still remaining in hospitals.
To fully implement the 10-day domestic quarantine program, Hsu Ying-shen (
Those reporting to local health authorities within 24 hours after receiving the quarantine notification and who do not violate any related rules will receive a NT$5,000 consolation subsidy.
The public is encouraged to take advantage of the toll free, 24-hour hot line (0800-000-085) to inform health authorities about suspected SARS cases or quarantine violators.
To help medical institutions more efficiently test the SARS virus, Twu yesterday revealed that the DOH expects to receive the test kits offered by the WHO on May 10.
Twu also called on the public to wear appropriate masks to ward off the SARS virus.
"While regular masks such as active carbon ones are sufficient for the general public, health-care personnel caring for SARS patients should wear surgical masks," Twu said.
As the Armed Forces Sungshan Hospital in Taipei City has been designated as the nation's first hospital treating only SARS patients, Twu yesterday said that the Sungchong Hospital in Taipei County will become the second one next Saturday.
Since the outbreak of SARS, the number of people visiting Hong Kong and Macau has seen a 90 percent decrease as of yesterday, according to Jeff Yang (楊家駿), director of the Mainland Affairs Council's Department of Legal Affairs.
According to the Global Insight, Taiwan's economy growth rate is estimated to see a 0.5 percent decrease from 3.8 percent to 3.3 percent if the outbreak can be brought under control before the second quarter. It will, however, plummet down to 2 percent if it drags on until the end of the year.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard