The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) should provide emergency evacuation guidelines for people staying in COVID-19 quarantine hotels, the New Power Party (NPP) said yesterday, following a deadly blaze earlier this week that killed four people.
A fire at a quarantine hotel in Changhua County’s Chiaoyu Building on Wednesday injured 20 people, and killed a firefighter and three people who had been isolating there.
One of the people who died, Chen Chien-kuang (陳建光), who had been isolating after he returned from Thailand, filmed a video shortly before his death that went viral online.
In the video, Chen, 59, said he saw plumes of smoke from his room on the ninth floor, but did not know whether to leave or stay to observe quarantine rules and avoid fines.
People who leave mandatory quarantine in the cases of an emergency situation would not be fined for doing so, the center said on Thursday.
NPP Chairwoman and Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) told an online news conference yesterday that Chen Chien-kuang’s video exposed a systemic problem that people in COVID-19 isolation might not know how to evacuate in an emergency, such as a fire or earthquake.
The CECC should publish evacuation guidelines for people at quarantine facilities, and have facility staff conduct fire drills, Chen Jiau-hua said.
She also addressed the poor working conditions faced by firefighters.
The US, Japan and many European countries allow public servants to form unions, but firefighters in Taiwan are not permitted to do so, she said.
The NPP has been advocating for firefighters’ rights to form unions, so they can discuss work issues and negotiate with the government, she said, urging the government to address the matter.
NPP Changhua County Councilor Wu Wei-ta (吳韋達) also said that firefighters’ rights deserve more attention.
One firefighter in Changhua County has to protect 1,800 people on average, which shows that the county’s rescue capacity is insufficient, he said.
The blaze also exposed problems with building management, Wu said.
The Condominium Administration Act (公寓大廈管理條例) does not provide a legal basis for mandatory management of unused floors, he said.
Not inspecting unused floors poses safety risks to residents of the building, he said, calling for lawmakers to amend regulations and review the management mechanisms of prominent buildings.
The county government should soon publish a report on the rescue procedure of the hotel’s fire, Wu added.
As the Ministry of the Interior has also said it would investigate the blaze, it should work with the county government to clarify what caused the incident and outline improvement plans, he said.
Wu also expressed support for an appeal from the sister of firefighter Chen Chih-fan (陳志帆), who died in Wednesday’s blaze.
She on Friday called for a monument to be erected in honor of her brother, to remind people of firefighters’ sacrifices.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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