He urged the public not to hoard medical equipment such as masks, saying that this was punishable by one to seven years in prison and up to NT$5 million (US$150,000) in fines under Article 61 of the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act (傳染病防治法).
At a meeting he called at the Presidential Office, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday expressed confidence in the country’s disease control measures.
Taiwan is well prepared and has the experience and knowledge to deal with the swine flu, he said, citing the SARS outbreak six years ago as a source of experience.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung City Government Information Office head Hsu Ming-chun (?K) yesterday said the office had been forced to cancel plans in Shanghai to promote the World Games.
World Games organizing committee head Hsu Chao-chuan (?? said the committee could ban athletes from flu-hit countries if the outbreak worsens.
Hsu said the committee was preparing for the worst case scenario, meaning either postponement or cancelation of the July Games.
The committee would finalize its emergency measures at a meeting next week with Ron Frohlich, president of the International World Games Association’s executive committee, and other personnel, she said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang, Jimmy Chuang,Ko Shu-ling and CNA
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