The Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday it has ordered military units to take the temperature of every service member during morning and evening roll calls each day as part of its efforts to prevent SARS outbreaks.
Major General Lu Li-chun, (
In fact, Lu said, the military has continued to implement temperature-taking and self-health management measures since early January with a view to preventing a SARS comeback.
"Now that the DOH has decided to launch the level A SARS prevention campaign, the ministry will continue its twice-daily temperature-taking and self-health management measures to stem any possible SARS outbreak in military barracks," Lu said, adding that his bureau will also strengthen its monitoring of relevant epidemic developments.
Meanwhile, Kinmen has never let down its guard against SARS, with passengers arriving at Kinmen airport and harbor having their temperatures taken since last year, health officials said Thursday.
Kinmen health official Chen Tien-shun (
Chen said that Kinmen has maintained a level A alert because of its proximity to China, adding that since last month, all Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China, not just Taiwanese businesspeople based in Fujian Province, have been able to travel between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait via the "small three links," so that the officials have to be more cautious.
Yen Chi-heng, an official with the Center for Disease Control, said that infrared thermal imaging machines were installed at the harbor and airport to measure temperatures.
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 US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative.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
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner