The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday thanked the US for donating another 1.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, while announcing new rules that would allow inbound travelers to spend the first day 10 days of their 14-day quarantine period at a centralized facility or hotel and the remaining four days at home.
Together with the 2.5 million doses that arrived in June, the US has donated a total of 4 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Taiwan, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), the deputy head of the center, told a daily news briefing.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) were at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to welcome the arrival of the vaccines at 1:43pm.
Photo: CNA
“These donations reflect our commitment to Taiwan, a vibrant democracy, valued partner and trusted friend.” Oudkirk said at the airport. “Partners support each other, especially under tough circumstances, and our support for Taiwan, through vaccines or otherwise, is rock solid.”
“The United States and Taiwan are proving what we can do when we collaborate to address shared challenges,” she said, adding that the vaccine delivery is another great example of the AIT’s and Taiwan’s close friendship as “real friends, real progress.”
Chen Shih-chung said that when a local COVID-19 outbreak occurred in May, the US government quickly donated 2.5 million doses of vaccines on June 20, allowing Taiwan to start its vaccination program when it lacked critical supplies.
Photo: CNA
The latest delivery can be used to vaccinate people waiting for their second dose of the Moderna vaccine, as a first dose for some “Moderna-only fans” or even included in a mix-and-match regimen, he said, adding that Taiwan is very grateful to US President Joe Biden’s administration for being a “real friend.”
The CECC yesterday reported five imported cases of COVID-19, but no local infections or deaths.
The five arrived from Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Ukraine, Chen Tsung-yen said.
As many Taiwanese are expected to return to the country during the Lunar New Year holiday in January next year, the CECC and other government agencies have discussed the issue and made preparations, he said.
The Lunar New Year holiday quarantine measures are to be implemented from Dec. 14 to Feb. 14 next year, he said.
“First of all, the mandatory 14-day quarantine followed by seven days of self-health management for inbound travelers will remain in place,” he said.
Inbound travelers who have traveled to “key high-infection risk countries” 14 days prior to arriving in Taiwan will have to stay in a centralized quarantine facility for 14 days, he said.
Countries on this list include India, Myanmar and the UK, he said, adding that the list would be modified depending on COVID-19 developments worldwide.
As for inbound travelers arriving from other countries, they will still be required to stay in a quarantine hotel or self-paid centralized quarantine facility for the first 10 days of quarantine, and an additional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test would be required on the ninth or 10th day of quarantine, he said.
If they tested negative, they could choose to spend the remaining four days of quarantine at home, he said.
They have to take a disease prevention taxi or vehicle to return home and must follow the rule of “only one person per household,” or “one person per room” if all household members have been fully vaccinated, he added.
Family members or coresidents who arrived in Taiwan together on the same day would also be allowed to stay in the same hotel room during quarantine, he added.
As inbound travelers are subject to three PCR tests during quarantine — upon arrival, on the ninth or 10th day and upon ending it — they do not need to take a COVID-19 rapid test at home before ending self-health management, he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique