National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health yesterday urged the government to promote a policy that would allow people to take classes or work from home, or allocate separate work and school hours to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 cluster infections.
As the summer is near, it is not a good idea for people to wear masks the whole day, college dean Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) said.
If the government does not want to lock down the entire country as Beijing has done to in Wuhan, which would maximize social distance, it would be better to divide people into groups to work and attend classes at different hours or from home, Chan said, adding that people should also follow the government’s instructions to contain the disease’s spread.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
This is the only way the government could avoid shutting down the entire country, he said.
Scientists in the US have found that the severity and contagiousness of COVID-19 is close to that of the 1968 influenza outbreak, Chan said.
If a global disease-prevention policy is not put in place, the situation could turn into a rerun of the Spanish pandemic of 1918, he said.
“The key to prevention is to buy time, which would reduce the duration of the epidemic and its peak, alleviate the workload of medical professionals, and allow scientists to develop vaccines and medicines to fight the virus,” he said.
College vice dean Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said that people should embrace social distancing measures to slow COVID-19’s spread.
Taiwan can help minimize the threat by applying social distancing as used in other countries, Chen said.
One such approach is to keep a distance of at least 1m between people, as is practiced in Finland, he said.
“I had a chance to be a visiting professor in Finland and it was very interesting,” Chen said. “If there was a free seat next to someone on the bus, Finns would rather go sit somewhere else further away.”
Social distancing could help countries prevent the spread of the coronavirus, he said.
It is not advisable to hold large-scale activities at this time, but if an event must be held, there are ways to decrease the risk, Chen said.
In related news, the Taiwan Railways Administration yesterday announced that its policy of curbing cluster-infection risks would be implemented at 17 other stations in addition to Taipei Railway Station: Keelung, Nangang, Songshan, Banciao, Taoyuan, Jhungli, Fongyuan, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Sintsoying, Kaohsiung, Fongshan, Pingtung, Yilan, Hualien and Taitung.
The policy authorizes station personnel to cancel large events at stations and ban large groups.
Additional reporting by Hsiao Yu-hsin
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS