The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced 10 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, all Taiwanese who have returned from overseas, bringing the total number of cases in the nation to 77.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, said six of the new cases had joined tour groups to other nations, while the other four traveled overseas on their own.
The 68th, 69th, 70th and 73rd cases were in a tour group that visited Turkey from March 4 to Friday last week — the same group as four confirmed cases on Sunday and Monday, Chen said, adding that nine people in the 15-person group had tested positive for COVID-19.
Photo courtesy of Line Corp
The 71st case is a man who joined a tour of Egypt from March 3 to Thursday last week, along with two confirmed cases on Sunday and Monday, he said.
The 72nd case is a woman who was in the same tour group to Austria and the Czech Republic from March 5 to Saturday last week as a case reported on Monday, he added.
The 74th case is a man in his 30s who visited Iceland with seven friends from Feb. 25 to Tuesday last week; the 75th case is a man in his 20s who visited Germany independently from Feb. 23 to March 8, Chen said.
The 76th case is a woman in her 30s who visited Paris with two friends from March 1 to Thursday last week, while the 77th case is a woman who traveled to the Czech Republic via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Jan. 20, visited family in New York on March 7, then returned to Taiwan on Monday, he said.
The CECC said that of the 77 confirmed cases in Taiwan, 50 were imported and 27 were locally transmitted infections.
In related news, more than 500 students at a university in southern Taiwan received a text message from the school’s academic affairs office early yesterday morning informing them that a suspected COVID-19 case had been detected on campus and that they should not attend school.
It said seven university courses would be conducted online and instructed those who received the message to perform self-health management by wearing a mask when going out and taking their temperature daily.
Asked if one of yesterday’s confirmed cases was a student at the university, Ministry of Education Department of Higher Education Deputy Director-General Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said the 75th case is a student at the university, but that he had reported his travel history to the university administration and had not entered the campus since returning from overseas.
However, the man had dined with two of his classmates outside campus, so as soon as he tested positive, the university decided to take disease-prevention measures by asking students to stay at home, moving their courses online and disinfecting the campus, he said.
“We urge students who have returned from overseas to report their travel history to their school,” Chu said.
“In the past three days, we have urged people not to travel abroad during this extremely difficult situation,” Chen said.
“Please do not put yourself at risk by making unnecessary trips overseas and [risk] bringing danger back to Taiwan,” he added.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
RSS