The quarantine period for foreigners visiting Taiwan for business would vary based on the COVID-19 situation of the nation or territory that they are coming from, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported the 13th consecutive day of no new cases.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told reporters at the center’s daily briefing that modified rules covering foreign business visitors had been completed and were ready for him to sign.
The complete details of the new rules would be released later this week, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Foreigners on long business trips would have to undergo a 14-day “home” quarantine, while those on shorter trips would be ranked as either “very low risk” and “low risk” based on the COVID-19 situation they are coming from, but those from high-risk countries would still be barred, he said.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said those from countries with “very low risks” would face a five-day home quarantine, while those from countries with “low risks” would have to complete a 10-day home quarantine.
Following the quarantine periods, business travelers would be tested for COVID-19 at their own expense, and if they test negative, would be required to perform self-health management and relay their daily conditions through a mobile app or text message during their stay, he said.
Most COVID-19 patients have reported the onset of symptoms about five to seven days after being exposed to the novel coronavirus, so conducting tests five to 10 days after quarantine would likely be effective, Chen said.
Chen said yesterday was the 38th consecutive day without a domestic case of COVID-19.
Some people have questioned whether the reports of “zero cases” are the result of too few COVID-19 tests being administered, Chen told reporters, so he wanted to clarify the situation by citing a report by Our World in Data, a project that publishes data gathered by researchers at the University of Oxford and the Global Change Data Lab.
According to the report, Taiwan’s testing capacity ranks as sixth or seventh among 91 nations, he said.
The number of COVID-19 tests per confirmed case in Taiwan is 158.3, meaning that on average one case is detected per 158.3 tests, he said.
In New Zealand, the number of COVID-19 tests per confirmed case is about 203, and about 153 tests were conducted to detect a case in Australia, Chen added.
In South Korea and Germany, countries that conducted wide-scale testing, an average of 69 tests and 18.6 tests were conducted respectively to confirm a case, showing that the number of tests done in Taiwan is not considered low, he said.
Turning to this year’s virtual World Health Assembly (WHA) held on Monday and Tuesday, Chen said that Taiwan and the US had issued statements on Tuesday voicing their disappointment over the WHO’s decision to exclude Taiwan from the annual meeting.
He read reporters excerpts from the US statement: “We must recognize Taiwan’s successful COVID-19 response and their continued efforts to assist other countries with personal protective equipment donations and technical assistance.”
“The United States strongly urges the WHO to return to the practice of inviting Taiwan to participate as an observer to the WHA... The United States also urges the WHO to systematically engage with Taiwan health experts on COVID-19 and beyond,” Chen read.
The US has never praised Taiwan as much as it did in that statement, so he wanted to thank Washington for recognizing Taiwan’s contributions, Chen said.
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source