Taiwan Epi Curve - Johns Hopkins COVID Dashboard
#15,951
Although most nations would be thrilled to only report 15 new confirmed COVID cases yesterday, for Taiwan this actually signifies a worrisome increase in cases, and has prompted the raising of their pandemic alert level for the next 30 days.
From the Taiwan CDC website, two reports:
CECC raises epidemic warning to Level 2 and implements related restrictions and measures, effective from May 11 to June 8, in response to increased risk of community transmission
PublishTime：2021-05-11
On May 11, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced it would raise epidemic warning to Level 2: Local Cases of Unknown Sources, effective from today to June 8, a total of four weeks, and would impose restrictions on personal activities, going out, gatherings, business venues, public transportation and other related measures. Related restrictions and measures are listed below.
1. Members of the public should avoid crowded venues and to wear a mask at places with high risks of infection and transmission. Those who do not wear face masks may be fined.2. Organizers of gatherings and activities should adopt measures that ensure social distancing and mask-wearing, use partitions, keep a record of participants' contact information, take temperatures, sanitize environments, and institute crowd flow control, capacity limits and route arrangement. Organizers failing to adopt these measures should cancel their activities.3. In principle, organizers should cancel outdoor activities of more than 500 people and indoor activities of more than 100 people. However, if organizers of such gatherings and activities can arrange designated seats for participants and spare a seat from the next participant; keep a record of participants' contact information; ensure participants wear masks; and prohibit consumption of food and beverages, organizers may hold such events after submitting disease prevention plans to the local regulatory authority and obtaining permission.4. Business owners and public venue management units should take measures that ensure social distancing and mask-wearing, use partitions, keep a record of customers' contact information, take temperatures, sanitize environments, and institute crowd flow control, capacity limits and route arrangement. Those failing to take these measures should suspend their business. When necessary, entertainment and leisure businesses and public areas will be closed.5. Food and beverage service owners should keep a record of customers' contact information; sanitize/disinfect environments regularly; ensure staff members wear masks, maintain hand hygiene, take customers' temperatures, sanitize customers' hands, provide serving utensils, and provide assistance in other personal protective measures for customers; and install partitions between customers. Those failing to take these measures should suspend their business.6. Consumption of food and beverages is prohibited on Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) trains, Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) trains, and intercity buses. Starting May 15, no standing ticket shall be sold on THSR intercity trains and TRA intercity trains.
Hospitals and long-term care facilities in Taiwan to suspend visitation from today to June 8 with certain exceptions; only one person can be allowed to accompany one patient or resident
PublishTime：2021-05-11On May 11, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that visits to people staying at hospitals and long-term care facilities in Taiwan will be banned and only one individual may be allowed accompany a patient or a resident, effective from May 11 to June 8. Related details are listed below.
A. Visiting people staying at hospitals and long-term care facilities in Taiwan will be banned from May 11 to June 8 with certain exceptions allowed.
B. The circumstances listed below are exceptions to the ban on visiting hospital patients.
1. A patient undergoing surgery or an invasive treatment needs to be accompanied by family members for or the law requires the patient's family members to sign a consent form or document for the treatment or surgery;
2. The condition of a patient admitted to special care wards, including emergency departments, intensive care units and hospice wards, needs to be explained by doctors to family members;3. A patient's condition deteriorates or a patient needs medical treatment, or a patient has been hospitalized for a long time, and the healthcare facility has approved the need for family members of the patient to visit.
C. Long-term care facilities may allow visits to residents under the following conditions:
1. A resident experiences severe physical or mental discomfort, such as insomnia, fluctuating blood pressure and irritability, and the long-term care facility is unable to comfort the resident.2. Other conditions deemed necessary by the long-term care facility.
Like many other countries, Taiwan is watching events in India carefully - but has also recently detected 6 community cases of COVID without a known source of exposure - prompting these latest actions.
One of the true success stories during this pandemic, Taiwan is painfully aware of how fragile their containment of the virus may be, and is willing to take hard steps now to hopefully avoid a resurgence of the virus.
