Sixteen people who traveled on the same plane as three Japanese passengers with swine flu all tested negative for the illness yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
Seventeen passengers entered Taiwan from Tokyo after they boarded the same flight from Detroit, Michigan, to Tokyo as three passengers who tested positive for swine flu.
“One of the 17 passengers is an American who traveled by plane to Hong Kong on Saturday and is being tested by health authorities there,” CDC Deputy Director and spokesperson Shih Wen-yi (施文儀) said.
“As for the other 16 passengers, we received the test samples at about 10:30pm [on Saturday] night. They have all tested negative [for swine flu],” he said.
The 17 passengers arrived in Taiwan late on Friday night. Japanese authorities had not discovered any cases of the virus at the time and the 16 passengers who stayed in Taiwan did not show any flu symptoms at the airport.
The Japanese government announced on Saturday morning that a teacher and two students returning from North America had tested positive for swine flu, the first confirmed cases of the disease in that nation.
Although the 16 passengers were not affected by swine flu, the CDC will still continue to check on their physical condition for the next 10 days.
Taiwan does not have any confirmed cases of swine flu. Shih said he hoped by using the strictest standards, the CDC would be able to keep the flu from entering the country.
Also See: Japan confirms fourth flu case
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS