Chunghwa Post yesterday launched two commemorative stamps featuring the nation’s disease prevention measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the stamps, which has a face value of NT$13, shows how medical professionals, environmental protection workers and the public worked together to prevent the virus’ spread, and how the government helped other countries combat the disease.
The other stamp, which has a face value of NT$15, features the nation’s efficiency in producing and distributing medical supplies, studying the virus and developing vaccines, while also depicting disease prevention measures, from home quarantine and isolation to wearing masks on public transport and hand washing.
Photo: CNA
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Chunghwa Post Chairman Wu Hung-mo (吳宏謀) attended the stamps’ launch in Taipei.
“The two small stamps, which are like business cards of Taiwan, tell a great story of how people in this nation have been working hard to successfully contain the spread of the pandemic,” Su said.
Thanks to their collective efforts, Taiwan also ranked first in a Bloomberg Economics list, which evaluated 75 economies around the globe according to confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and other criteria, he said.
The public health crisis has unified the nation and allowed everyone to contribute with their efforts, which helped make Taiwan a “blessed place in a chaotic world,” he said.
During his speech, the premier thanked those who made contributions.
He also thanked the employees of the postal company for their efforts, from delivering masks and alcohol disinfectant to the distribution of Triple Stimulus Vouchers.
Asked in an interview before the ceremony if the nation could further relax border controls, Su said that Taiwan achieved great success in containing the coronavirus outbreak, because it has maintained high disease prevention standards through the collective efforts of government officials and the public.
“The government still needs to control the borders to minimize the possible risks brought by international tourists. We cannot afford to open the borders recklessly and thus have to monitor the situation worldwide. If the situation with the pandemic remains unfavorable in other countries, reopening the borders would expose our people’s health to great risks and affect the nation overall. As such, it is necessary that the Central Epidemic Command Center [CECC] approaches this matter with rigor and caution,” he said.
The CECC would also make a professional judgement on how further border control relaxations should proceed, Su added.
While countries around the world are still struggling to stop the spread of the coronavirus and have sustained great economic losses, the government is concerned that there are excessive numbers of visitors to certain domestic destinations, which have overwhelmed service capacities there.
The nation has about 17 million outbound travelers annually, who can only travel domestically now amid the pandemic, he said.
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