Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) were placed in home isolation on Sunday afternoon after they were identified as close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case, the Taipei City Government said.
Ko and Huang on Wednesday attended a meeting with members of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Taiwan at Taipei City Hall.
A society member was on Saturday confirmed with COVID-19, city government spokeswoman Chen Chih-han (陳智菡) said on Sunday.
Photo: CNA
The person had attended a group tour to Penghu County before the meeting, she said, adding that several other members of the tour group also tested positive.
Ko and Huang underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at Taipei City Hospital’s Renai Branch on Saturday morning, and returned home to await test results. Although the test results were negative, the Taipei Department of Health identified Ko and Huang as close contacts of the case, placing them in home isolation until Sunday.
Participants at the meeting wore masks, the department said, but added that the gathering took place in an enclosed space and lasted for about an hour.
The infection risk is considered to be relatively high, especially as several members of the Penghu tour group tested positive, it said.
Ko and Huang would hold online meetings from home, Chen said, adding that their health conditions are good and their isolation would not affect their official duties.
Chen is also working from home. On Friday, a man serving his alternative military service at the city’s Media Affairs Division was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, causing Chen, two deputy spokespeople and members of the division to be placed in home isolation until Saturday.
Ko yesterday attended the city’s COVID-19 prevention meeting via teleconference, saying: “I know very well that Taiwan will plunge into chaos this week, as more than 60,000 people are under home isolation now, and just think how much effort must be expended to take care of them.”
Asked for comment, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), said that as local infections rise, the central and local governments must cooperate to control the COVID-19 situation, rather than make predictions.
Ko later in the day told reporters via teleconference that the CECC should change its criteria for home isolation, as there are 9,479 city residents in isolation and in-person classes have been suspended for more than 33,000 students and teaching personnel.
He said if the CECC does not modify its COVID-19 response strategy, tens of thousands of city residents would be in isolation and almost all schools in the city would be suspended in the next couple of weeks.
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