All people working at Taipei’s hospitals, both healthcare personnel and non-medical staff, must be vaccinated against COVID-19, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
Ko said that vaccine hesitancy is reportedly high among medical workers, but that “starting today, this is not up to you.”
When seeking treatment at the city’s emergency rooms, people who had received a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test would also receive rapid screening for COVID-19, a measure that could help generate faster test results, he said.
Photo: Courtesy of the Taipei City Government
Waiting two to three days for a PRC test result created an unnecessary psychological burden and an unneeded delay, he said, adding a positive rapid screening could be treated immediately.
Food and beverage stalls in the city’s wet and night markets, and food courts in malls should only offer takeout, the Taipei Market Administration Office said.
Offenders would face a fine of up to NT$15,000, the agency said.
The Taipei Civil Affairs Department said that as of Wednesday night, 5,111 people were in isolation across the city’s 12 districts: 1,251 in Zhongshan (中山), 796 in Zhongzheng (中正), 575 in Wanhua (萬華), 431 in Datong (大同), 424 in Daan (大安), 412 in Songshan (松山), 320 in Xinyi (信義), 256 in Beitou (北投), 228 in Shilin (士林), 218 in Neihu (內湖), 119 in Wenshan (文山) and 81 in Nangang (南港).
In addition, 928 former medical personnel answered Ko’s call for emergency mobilization, which the city had issued on Wednesday.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Tsai Pi-ju (蔡壁如), a former emergency room nurse, said that she signed up for medical work and that her refresher course is scheduled to start on Friday or Saturday.
Tsai said that she worked as a nurse during the SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreaks.
“I can take care of myself and hope that I can be an example to others of not being afraid,” Tsai added.
Yesterday, the Central Epidemic Command Center confirmed that three Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) employees had tested positive for COVID-19.
They work for the administration, so it is unlikely that they had contact with Taipei MRT riders, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the center’s spokesman.
Thirteen employees who shared a workspace with those infected have been put under home isolation, he said, adding that officials were verifying whether the TRTC had implemented multiple shifts or working locations.
The TRTC was told that it should enhance its health monitoring practices, Chuang said.
Although the TRTC did not immediately confirm the story, it said that it has split operations for personnel working on the trains, at the stations and in the maintenance division, with office work and meetings being conducted remotely.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun and Cheng Ming-hsiang
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