The nation has an ample supply of masks to meet demand amid concerns over an increase in the number of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Tuesday.
Taiwan has more than 800 million masks in stock, with daily production of 18.3 million units on average and maximum daily capacity of 40 million units, the ministry said on Facebook.
The ministry’s assurance came after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), on Monday said that the nation has entered the community transmission stage after several new domestic COVID-19 cases were reported.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The economics ministry urged people to wear a mask and wash their hands frequently.
The CECC has tightened the measures to control the spread of the disease, including a ban on large gatherings until June 8, mandatory mask wearing at gatherings and a requirement to provide real-name identification when entering public spaces.
The nation also has sufficient supplies of hand sanitizer, with daily production of more than 40,000 bottles, while supplies of protection and isolation gowns also exceed demand, the economics ministry said.
Taiwan has enough supplies of personal protective equipment, it said, urging the public to stay calm.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is aware that Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong has weakened any possible sentiment for a “one country, two systems” arrangement for Taiwan, and has instructed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo member Wang Huning (王滬寧) to develop new ways of defining cross-strait relations, Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. A former professor of international politics at Fu Dan University, Wang is expected to develop a dialogue that could serve as the foundation for cross-strait unification, and Xi plans to use the framework to support a fourth term as president, Nikkei Asia quoted an anonymous source
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