The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced three enhanced measures to improve COVID-19 prevention in quarantine hotels, while urging quarantined people who selected the “7+7 (+7)” option to strictly follow the regulations, as the first group of people who selected the option were allowed to return home.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesman, said after investigating two cluster infections at quarantine hotels, the CECC would implement three enhanced measures to improve safety at the hotels.
Two clusters of COVID-19 infections were last week reported at a quarantine hotel in Taoyuan — where there were eight cases, seven infected with the same viral strain — and at a quarantine hotel in Taipei — where two cases who stayed in adjacent rooms were infected with the same viral strain.
Photo: CNA
The enhanced measures are a cluster infection detection and response mechanism for quarantine hotels, to detect a possible cluster earlier and to respond properly, Chuang said.
The CECC would also amend the control and prevention guidelines for the establishment and management of quarantine hotels after it completes a review of the cluster infections and discusses possible risks with specialists, he said, adding that it would also ask local governments to inspect the hotels every month.
Local governments have been asked to complete a full inspection of all quarantine hotels before Jan. 3, Chuang said, adding that they have been advised to include air ventilation specialists to inspect ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
An inspection team, consisting of infection management, public health and air ventilation specialists, is to begin visiting quarantine hotels where cluster infections have occurred, with an occupancy rate of more than 75 percent or that have a higher risk of infection from Monday next week to suggest improvements, he said.
Meanwhile, people who chose the “7+7 (+7)” Lunar New Year Quarantine Program option — stay at a quarantine hotel or centralized facility for the first seven days, followed by seven days of quarantine at home — and returned to Taiwan on Tuesday last week were allowed to go home yesterday if their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was negative, Chuang said.
Chuang reiterated that they are required to wear a mask and take a disease prevention vehicle arranged by the local government when they go home, and they should cooperate when taking the mandatory PCR tests.
The mandatory tests include an at-home rapid test on the 10th day of quarantine, which they must report; a PCR test arranged by the local government upon ending quarantine; and another at-home rapid test upon ending self-health management, he said.
People quarantined at home are reminded that they cannot leave the house and they must strictly follow the rules on the COVID-19 Health Declaration and Home Quarantine Notice (Lunar New Year Quarantine Program), he added.
Family members who are living in the same household must also follow the enhanced self-health management rules and undergo two mandatory self-paid at-home rapid tests on the third and seventh day of home quarantine, Chuang said, adding that they cannot share a room or bathroom, or have a meal with the quarantined person.
The CECC yesterday reported 10 new imported cases of COVID-19 and no new local infections or deaths.
CHIP WAR: The new restrictions are expected to cut off China’s access to Taiwan’s technologies, materials and equipment essential to building AI semiconductors Taiwan has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China’s efforts to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chip technologies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, the latest version on its Web site showed on Saturday. It did not publicly announce the change. Other entities on the list include organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as companies in China, Iran and elsewhere. Local companies need
CRITICISM: It is generally accepted that the Straits Forum is a CCP ‘united front’ platform, and anyone attending should maintain Taiwan’s dignity, the council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.” The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Wang
CROSS-STRAIT: The MAC said it barred the Chinese officials from attending an event, because they failed to provide guarantees that Taiwan would be treated with respect The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday night defended its decision to bar Chinese officials and tourism representatives from attending a tourism event in Taipei next month, citing the unsafe conditions for Taiwanese in China. The Taipei International Summer Travel Expo, organized by the Taiwan Tourism Exchange Association, is to run from July 18 to 21. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) on Friday said that representatives from China’s travel industry were excluded from the expo. The Democratic Progressive Party government is obstructing cross-strait tourism exchange in a vain attempt to ignore the mainstream support for peaceful development
ELITE UNIT: President William Lai yesterday praised the National Police Agency’s Special Operations Group after watching it go through assault training and hostage rescue drills The US Navy regularly conducts global war games to develop deterrence strategies against a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, aimed at making the nation “a very difficult target to take,” US Acting Chief of Naval Operations James Kilby said on Wednesday. Testifying before the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, Kilby said the navy has studied the issue extensively, including routine simulations at the Naval War College. The navy is focused on five key areas: long-range strike capabilities; countering China’s command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting; terminal ship defense; contested logistics; and nontraditional maritime denial tactics, Kilby
RSS