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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS