Household infections accounted for about 40 percent of the new COVID-19 cases in Taipei and New Taipei City over the past three days, their governments said yesterday, urging people to visit virtually and refrain from going out over the next two weeks.
From April 26 to yesterday, there were 4,217 cases in New Taipei City, with 947 in Banciao (板橋) alone, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said, adding that 4,535 people are in home quarantine.
During the period, there were 677 cases in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和), 500 in Sanchong District (三重), 369 in Sinjhuang District (新莊), 334 in Yonghe District (永和), 320 in Tucheng District (土城), 220 in Sindian District (新店) and 170 in Lujhou District (蘆洲), the city government said.
Photo: Weng Yu-huang, Taipei Times
Pingsi (平溪), Shuangsi (雙溪) and Wulai (烏來) districts, known for their broad mountainous areas, are the only districts in New Taipei City to have reported no cases, data showed.
Hou urged people to stay home and said that enterprises not handling daily necessities should suspend operations.
Asked for clarification, the city government later said that Hou was referring to businesses such as sellers of jewelry, clothes, antiques and works of art; fortune telling services; and those offering leisure activities.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
Cases and contact tracing numbers were highest on May 14 and May 17, indicating a correlation between the two, Hou said, adding that since hotspot areas were designated on May 22, contact tracing has dwindled to one-fifth of its former number.
However, cases have increased from last week in Yonghe, Tucheng, Lujhou, Jhonghe, Linkou (林口) and Sijhih (汐止) districts, he added.
Of the about 600 cases confirmed in the past three days, 40.07 percent were infected by a relative and 16.38 percent by someone at work, Hou said.
Those infected after visiting Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) were down to 5.75 percent, while shopping center infections comprised 5.92 percent, hospital or nursing home infections 3.48 percent, those infected by a friend 2.26 percent and other sources 0.87 percent, he said, adding that many sources of infection were still unknown.
Since May 17, when rapid testing stations were first set up, 25,874 people have been screened, with an average positivity rate of 2.8 percent, Hou said.
With yesterday’s establishment of a high-capacity station in Banciao, the city’s 32 stations can test up to 3,600 people per day, making it possible to find asymptomatic and mild cases hidden within the population, Hou said.
The positivity rate on Tuesday had fallen to 1.8 percent from 2.1 percent the day before, but climbed back to 2.1 percent on Wednesday, he added.
In the capital, the household infection rate was 43 percent, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said, encouraging people living together to eat in shifts and not to share utensils, as group dining presents the greatest infection risk.
The percentage is so high because previously people would go home to wait for the results of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, but the standard now is to quarantine in a specialized facility after receiving a positive rapid test result, Ko said.
Ko on Wednesday said that the virus had reached every corner of Taipei, but not yet every part of Taiwan.
Without vaccines or a lockdown, what happened in Taipei would happen to all of Taiwan after three weeks, he added.
Ko said that he supports domestic biotechnology companies and vaccine production, but the situation has changed.
There are already approved foreign vaccines available for a reasonable price, he said, adding: “If you can take one, take it. At least get a head start.”
Additional reporting by CNA
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS