COVID-19 testing required for hospitalized people and accompanying caregivers might no longer be required after April 10, and the mask mandate on public transportation might also be removed in the second half of next month, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday.
The center reported 7,825 new local cases — a 7.3 percent decline compared with the caseload reported on Saturday last week — as well as 201 imported cases and 35 deaths.
Weekly local reported cases have declined for six consecutive weeks, from a peak of 183,486 in the week starting on Jan. 29 to 64,541 cases in the week starting on March 5, and to only 51,126 cases last week, CECC data showed.
As of yesterday, there have been 10,222,922 confirmed cases, including 18,732 deaths, reported in Taiwan since the pandemic began, the data showed.
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), who is also the CECC’s spokesperson, yesterday said that the center would need to observe the policy of no longer requiring mild cases to be reported or to undergo mandatory isolation.
The new policy is to be implemented tomorrow, he said.
If the local COVID-19 situation remains under control after the five-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend, more regulations would be eased ahead of schedule, potentially as early as the middle of next month, he said.
Among the regulations that could be relaxed next month is the regular COVID-19 testing required for hospitalized people and caregivers, which could be scrapped on April 10, Lo said.
The mask mandate for visiting healthcare facilities would remain in place to protect vulnerable people in hospitals, he added.
The mask mandate on public transportation could also be removed in the middle of next month if the COVID-19 situation does not worsen after the long weekend, he added.
The WHO on Jan. 30 said that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern, but its International Health Regulations Emergency Committee is to hold a meeting to discuss the pandemic next month, after which it could declare an end to the international public health emergency, Lo said.
The US government also announced that it would end its COVID-19 public health emergency declarations on May 11, he said.
In keeping with the international perspective, Taiwan is planning to speed up its easing of COVID-19-related regulations, Lo said.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for