The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Wednesday raised its travel alert for Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in China after two human infections of H7N9 avian flu were reported there.
Upon the recommendation of Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the council raised its epidemic travel advisory for Xinjiang from a level-1 watch to a level-2 alert, which advises travelers to maintain a high degree of caution and take strong protective measures, especially when visiting certain high-risk places.
The CDC said that a 66-year-old woman in Xinjiang died last month after developing H7N9 symptoms on July 14.
In the other Xinjiang case, a 53-year-old man was confirmed on Aug. 5 to be infected with the virus, the CDC said.
Except for Xinjiang, all Chinese provinces are still under the council’s level-1 advisory, issued in light of reports of other H7N9 cases.
The CDC said that the H7N9 situation in China could worsen in the autumn and cautioned people traveling to affected areas in China to wash their hands frequently, wear a surgical mask and avoid direct contact with birds or poultry.
Travelers are also advised to avoid eating uncooked meat and eggs, and not to feed wild birds, the CDC said.
If travelers to epidemic areas develop a fever and cough, they should promptly see a doctor upon returning to Taiwan, the CDC said.
Under the nation’s travel advisory system, a level-1 advisory urges vigilance and health precautions when traveling to the listed areas, while a level-3 warning advises against travel to the specified destination.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS