Taoyuan prosecutors are investigating whether a US-based Taiwanese couple who have tested positive for COVID-19 had given false information about their health before boarding flights to Taiwan, endangering the flight crews and fellow passengers.
The couple took separate flights from New York to Taiwan, with the husband, who is in his 70s, arriving on Friday last week, and the wife, who is in her 60s, the following day. The two tested positive for the virus, with the man becoming the nation’s 384th case and the woman its 393rd case. They are receiving treatment in an isolation ward.
The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday ordered Taoyuan prosecutors to investigate the couple for potential breaches of Article 13 of the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Recovery (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), which states: “Individuals suffering from or suspected of suffering from severe pneumonia with novel pathogens [who] fail to abide by the instructions of competent health authorities of any level and thus are at risk of infecting others shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not more than two years or criminal detention, and may in addition thereto, be fined no less than NT$200,000 [US$6,644] and no more than NT$2 million.
“Preliminary reports indicate that while in the US, the couple already exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, but they still flew to Taiwan. Our office has initiated an investigation, which is headed by our chief prosecutor,” Taoyuan prosecutor Lin Hsiu-min (林秀敏) said, adding that dozens of people on the two flights are in quarantine after the couple tested positive.
A fellow passenger, who only gave his first name, Eric, showed his air ticket stub for a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Taipei via EVA Air, indicating that he was seated one row from the husband.
Eric said he was scared of getting infected as the man coughed frequently, took some medicine several times and did not wear a mask.
Questions have been raised over whether the couple knew beforehand that they were infected, but concealed their condition to the airline crew and Taiwanese health authorities.
The wife allegedly experienced symptoms, such as coughing up phlegm and diarrhea, since late last month, while the husband started exhibiting symptoms on April 3.
The husband and wife are Taiwanese nationals who have been living in the US for about 30 years and have not visited Taiwan for years.
While they are not enrolled in the National Health Insurance system, health authorities on Thursday said that in line with local regulations, they do not have to bear the expenses for testing and treatment, including staying in an isolation ward, which are estimated to cost NT$4,700 per person per day.
The government in early February banned people who have tested positive for COVID-19, or have a fever, from boarding flights to Taiwan, as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
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