The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported one new imported case of COVID-19.
Case No. 570 is a Taiwanese woman in her 20s who on Monday returned from the Czech Republic, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC’s spokesman.
She had traveled to the Czech Republic in the middle of September to study, he said.
The woman has a history of allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, and on Oct. 10, developed a fever and abnormal sense of taste, he said.
She did not seek medical attention at the time, he said, adding that her symptoms improved after about 10 days.
Upon arriving in Taiwan, she had a runny nose and phlegm, he said.
She thought those symptoms were related to allergic rhinitis, and because her symptoms in the Czech Republic happened more than 14 days before, she did not report any symptoms upon entry, he said.
The following day, while staying at a quarantine hotel, she told authorities that she had had a fever and abnormal sense of taste while in the Czech Republic, he said.
Subsequently, health authorities arranged for her to be tested for COVID-19, he said.
The woman took a flight operated by a foreign airline, Chuang said, adding that contract tracing is still in progress.
Among the nation’s confirmed cases, 39 remained hospitalized as of yesterday, data from the CECC showed.
In related news, the Council of Agriculture said that it would offer a subsidy of up to NT$15,000 per migrant worker in the agricultural industry to help cover the costs of quarantine hotels.
If an employer hires a foreign agricultural worker, and during their stay at a quarantine hotel, they follow disease-prevention regulations, the council would subsidize 50 percent of the accommodation costs, with a maximum subsidy of NT$15,000 per worker, the council said.
Chen Chun-yen (陳俊言), head of the council’s Department of Farmers’ Service, said that the subsidy program is limited to foreigners who received a quarantine notice from health authorities, and stayed at a legally registered quarantine hotel after entry.
The maximum subsidy amount was based on council investigations that showed that staying at a quarantine hotel would add more than NT$20,000 to each worker’s expenses.
Employers can submit applications for the subsidy, along with relevant documents, within three months from the day after the end of the foreign worker’s quarantine, the council said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the number of foreign workers entering the nation to work in the agricultural industry, Chen said, adding that so far, only about 100 such workers have arrived in Taiwan.
The council set up the subsidy after farmers raised the issue during discussions, Chen said.
It hopes the program would help to solve the needs of farmers, and speed up the arrival of migrant workers to assist with domestic agricultural work, he said.
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