Employers are legally obliged to provide surgical masks to foreign carers who visit hospitals in the course of their duties, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said on Thursday.
In a press release addressing response measures being taken against 2019 novel coronavirus, the ministry said that providing masks in hospitals falls under an employers’ legal responsibility to guarantee safe working conditions.
Failure to provide a safe working environment for foreign workers, if not rectified within a stated period, is punishable under the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) by a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000, as well as a two-year ban from employing foreign workers, the ministry said.
Photo: Li Ya-wen, Taipei Times
It is preparing a letter to be sent to employment agencies and associations to ensure that employers are aware of their obligations, the ministry said.
It offers 24-hour consultation services via the 1955 hotline to facilitate virus prevention outreach among the more than 700,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, it said, adding that services are available in Mandarin, English, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese.
Recently arrived migrant workers should keep watch for virus-related symptoms, including a cough or fever, within the first 14 days after arrival, and contact the 1955 migrant worker hotline or the Centers for Disease Control’s 1922 (or 0800-001-922) epidemic prevention hotline to report any concerns, the ministry said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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