The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday urged people undergoing a 14-day mandatory quarantine and those in mandatory seven-day self-health management to abide by the rules, as 899 people have been fined for violations.
However, the center reported no new case of COVID-19 and the number of confirmed cases in the nation remains at 495.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, also said that Vietnam has been moved to the list of “low infection risk countries or areas,” from which short-term business travelers can apply for a shorter quarantine period of five days.
Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times, courtesy of Chiayi City Councilor Cheng Kuang-hung’s office
Meanwhile, Hong Kong has been moved to the list of “low to medium infection risk countries or areas,” for which the quarantine period can be shortened to seven days upon approved application, Chen added.
He said that the center in the past few weeks noticed that some people have let their guard down and neglected the quarantine orders, citing local news reports on Tuesday about the chairman of a New Taipei City-based company being fined NT$500,000 (US$16,932) for violating quarantine rules.
Kang Hsuan Educational Publishing Group chairman Mike Lee (李萬吉) was reported to have left his home quarantine to exercise and attend business meetings at his company, after having returned from China. The company issued a statement on Tuesday saying that Lee appologize for his behavior.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is also the deputy head of the center, said that Lee had left his mobile phone at home so that the “electronic fence” system could not track him.
The system notifies police if people leave their quarantine locations or turn off their mobile phones.
Among more than 270,000 people who have been put under quarantine in Taiwan, the violation rate is below 0.35 percent, he said, adding that Lee represents a very rare case.
The fines imposed on 899 people total NT$116.04 million, he said.
Local media yesterday reported the case of a 26-year-old military draftee who did not report to his unit about having had close contact with his brother, who is under home quarantine after returning from Spain on Friday last week, before boarding a bus with 30 other draftees.
All the draftees on the bus were later put under home quarantine.
Asked about the case, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC spokesman, said the man and his brother had stayed on different floors with separate bathrooms at their home, but had close contact for a short period of time.
However, as the brother is not a confirmed COVID-19 case, those who had close contact with him are not required to quarantine under CECC guidelines, and the decision to impose quarantines was made by the military, Chuang said.
In addition, Chen Shih-chung said that people who purchased masks with “Carry mask” imprints through the government’s rationing system could still exchange them for new ones at National Health Insurance-contracted pharmacies and local public health centers after Friday, the original deadline.
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