New Taipei City yesterday raised its COVID-19 alert to “augmented level 2” after tests indicated that the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 could be the cause of a cluster of infections at a kindergarten in Banciao District (板橋).
The heightened state of alert would remain in effect until Sept. 21 in response to the cluster that has been linked to 15 cases, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) told a news conference.
Preliminary tests by the Central Epidemic Command Center have ruled out the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 — the main variant in Taiwan — as the cause of the outbreak, with further test results expected to be announced today.
If the preschool cluster is confirmed to be the Delta variant, the city government would reimpose a ban on dine-in services, Ho said, adding that the center could reimpose a level 3 alert in the city.
Under the “augmented level 2 alert,” hospitals, long-term care facilities and nursing homes are to close their doors to visitors and limit residents to one carer, he said.
The capacity of indoor venues is to be reduced to 50 people, open-air venues are to cut capacity to 100 people and enhanced entry controls would be required, he added.
The unnamed private kindergarten has been ordered to suspend classes for 14 days and an elementary school in the same district has closed for three days, Hou said.
Children and teachers at the kindergarten have been placed in quarantine and each child is staying with one parent at a quarantine hotel, he said.
Additionally, the city is to set up 32 new centers to administer COVID-19 tests, increase the number of specialists at hospitals and increase quarantine hotel capacity, he added.
The Delta variant is more virulent than the Alpha variant and its spread in the densely populated city must be checked, Hou said.
Asked about his city’s response to the cluster, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that he would review whether the existing protocols are adequate for combating the Delta variant.
Taipei officials would prepare a response after giving due consideration to international medical advice, he said, adding that the city government must avoid creating a panic.
In light of the New Taipei City cluster, a number of local governments have announced a ban on barbecues in public areas during the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 21.
As of press time last night, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Keelung, Yilan County, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Taichung, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Kaohsiung and Hualien County had issued a ban.
Additional reporting by Yang Hsin-hui
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS