The start of the new school year has brought a rise in A(H1N1) cluster infections, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
The latest statistics from the center show that 317 classes in 229 elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools were suspended following the Ministry of Education’s “325” policy of suspending a class for up to five days if more than two students in the class are diagnosed with flu within three days of each other.
The center said another 13 people with A(H1N1) were hospitalized yesterday, bringing the total number of hospitalized cases in the country to 174. Some 48 patients remain in hospitals while 115 have been discharged. Taiwan has reported 11 deaths from the disease so far.
Of the 13 new patients, six were women and seven were men, who range in age from eight to 60 years, the center said. Most were from northern Taiwan.
The center said the number of people with A(H1N1) symptoms seeking medical attention at local hospitals has markedly increased in the past week. It attributed the increase to the cooler weather as well as students returning to school.
In related news, the Taipei City Government confirmed yesterday that an Israeli Deaflympics basketball player has A(H1N1) flu, making him the first athlete at the Games to confirmed to have developed the disease.
He tested positive for A-type flu on Wednesday and was confirmed to have A(H1N1) flu upon further examination.
Taipei City Department of Health Commissioner Allen Chiu (邱文祥) said the Israeli’s symptoms were not severe. He has been banned from the Games and put into isolation at his hotel.
A Japanese soccer team member who was initially believed to have swine flu only contracted the H3 strain. He was also resting at hotel and remains banned from the Games, Chiu said.
“No other athletes from the two teams have shown flu symptoms, and both athletes should get well soon. There’s no need to be panic about the flu,” he said.
Chiu said the city government would remain in close contact with officials in Taipei County, Taoyuan County and Hsinchu City because some of the Games events are being held in those areas.
All Games venues and hotels housing athletes have been equipped with anti-bacterial hand gels, and team members of the infected athletes would be encouraged to wear masks, Chiu said.
Each team doctor was authorized to determine whether or not infected athletes should be banned from the Games, he said, adding that the department would still make suggestions and negotiate with team doctors on the issue.
The Deaflympic’s Organizing Committee also sent out letters to all teams in the Games to promote preventive measures against the flu, he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
Taiwanese can file complaints with the Tourism Administration to report travel agencies if their activities caused termination of a person’s citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday, after a podcaster highlighted a case in which a person’s citizenship was canceled for receiving a single-use Chinese passport to enter Russia. The council is aware of incidents in which people who signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of Russia were told they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Taipei. However, the travel agencies actually applied
New measures aimed at making Taiwan more attractive to foreign professionals came into effect this month, the National Development Council said yesterday. Among the changes, international students at Taiwanese universities would be able to work in Taiwan without a work permit in the two years after they graduate, explainer materials provided by the council said. In addition, foreign nationals who graduated from one of the world’s top 200 universities within the past five years can also apply for a two-year open work permit. Previously, those graduates would have needed to apply for a work permit using point-based criteria or have a Taiwanese company
The Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted two Taiwanese and issued a wanted notice for Pete Liu (劉作虎), founder of Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus Technology Co (萬普拉斯科技), for allegedly contravening 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) by poaching 70 engineers in Taiwan. Liu allegedly traveled to Taiwan at the end of 2014 and met with a Taiwanese man surnamed Lin (林) to discuss establishing a mobile software research and development (R&D) team in Taiwan, prosecutors said. Without approval from the government, Lin, following Liu’s instructions, recruited more than 70 software
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
RSS