Radio Taiwan International
Date: 14 March, 2020
By: Andrew Ryan
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung announces the latest quarantine rules at a briefing on Saturday. (CNA photo)
As of Saturday afternoon, Taiwan had tested 16,530 people for COVID-19. Of the 53 confirmed cases, one person as died and 20 people have been released from hospital.
[FULL STORY]
If containment has been successful in places like Singapore, why is the government here not looking to replicate it?
The Telegraph
Date: 14 March 2020
By: Paul Nuki, GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY EDITOR, LONDON
People in Asia are no more subservient than we are fickle. They are behaving differently because they have been here before CREDIT: AP
The charts below show dramatic differences in the way places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan have responded to the coronavirus epidemic compared to others in Europe.
While the picture here is of exponential growth, the lines showing the spread of the virus in parts of Asia are flatter, suggesting the response there has been more effective. Even China, which was caught on the hop in Wuhan, has managed to dramatically subdue the spread of the disease.
If such containment has been successful in places like Singapore, why is the government here not looking to replicate it? Boris Johnson says he too wants to flatten the curve of the epidemic but his ambition is more modest.
Rather than spread it out over six months or more as they are aiming to do in parts of Asia, he wants to push it back a month or so into the summer and then let things rip. Most people will catch it and “many more families are going to lose loved ones”, but Britain will have acquired “herd immunity” and we will have got it over with, says his scientific advisers. It all feels a bit biff, bang, bosh. [FULL STORY]
Haiti expelled Taiwan ambassador over `small incident' but intends to maintain diplomatic relations,
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/14
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Haitian President Jovenel Moise (left) with President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan in 2018 (CNA photo)
The French-speaking Caribbean nation is one of 15 remaining diplomatic allies, following relentless Chinese efforts to restrict Taiwan’s international space. The Haitian website quoted the country’s foreign minister, Claude Joseph, as saying that it was awaiting the replacement of Taiwan Ambassador Bernard Bang-zyh Liu (劉邦治).
The minister was quoted as saying the incident was “a matter of national sovereignty” and "had been rapidly resolved.” The incident reportedly occurred in early January at the private residence of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
According to UDN, Liu and Moïse had a quarrel, after which Haiti demanded the diplomat leave the country within 72 hours. The appointment of a new ambassador was demanded and Taiwan’s interests have since then been managed by a chargé d'affaires. [FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/14/2020
By: Wu Hsin-yun, Chang Ming-hsuan and Matthew Mazzetta
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中)
The three patients are all men in their 30s, two Taiwanese and one Dutch, and they have recent history of travel to Europe, said Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) at a press briefing at which he also announced that air travelers from 27 European countries who board their planes after 2 p.m. Saturday (Taiwan time) will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival in Taiwan.
Chen, who heads the CECC, said the 51st coronavirus case in Taiwan is a Dutch pilot with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, who was in Austria March 2-6, before arriving in Taiwan from the Netherlands on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the pilot went to a hospital emergency room, complaining of breathing difficulties, tightness in the chest and fatigue, and was diagnosed with pneumonia.
[FULL STORY]
COMMUNITY SPREAD: The travel alert level for three US states is not the same as that of Europe, because the situation in the latter is more severe, the CECC head said
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 15, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
A note from Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung that reads “Hoping you stay safe and in good health, thank you all for your hard work” is taped to a snack given to reporters at the Central Epidemic Command Center news conference yesterday as a token of appreciation marking the White Day, which is celebrated one month after Valentine’s Day.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The center also raised the travel notice to a level 2 “alert” for three US states and issued a level 1 “watch” notice for all countries for which no other notice had been issued.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), head of the center, said that as the epidemic situation in Europe is rapidly worsening, the center would raise the travel notice to level 3 for 27 European countries, following Italy, as well as Dubai, advising people to avoid nonessential travel there.
The countries are France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Liechtenstein, as well as the UK and Ireland, whose citizens can move freely within the Schengen area, he said. [FULL STORY]
Radio Taiwan International
Date: 13 March, 2020
By: Leslie Liao
Liuhe Night Market in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Kaohsiung’s Liuhe Night Market is usually one of Taiwan’s busiest. However, if you go there now, you’ll find that there are no crowds- a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re brave enough to go there for some night market fare, you’ll most likely be the first in line for whatever suits your fancy. [FULL STORY]
NPR (National Public Radio)
Date: March 13, 20205
By: NPR Staff
People wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they pray at the Longshan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan, on Thursday. Taiwan has reported a relatively low number of cases of the virus despite its proximity to China, where the virus was first detected.
Chiang Ying-ying/AP
Experts say the island's response to the novel coronavirus has been remarkably effective so far, despite many serious challenges, starting with its close links to China, and may even hold lessons for others to follow.
"Taiwan is sort of a positive deviant," said Jason Wang, a pediatrician who heads the Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention at the Stanford University medical school.
"It did really well when they were not expected to do so well." [FULL STORY]
Man refuses to wear mask and pushes medical workers in N. Taiwan hospital
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/13
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Taoyuan General Hospital. (CNA photo)
On Thursday, the 29-year-old, surnamed Lu (盧), became the first person in Taoyuan City to be handed a NT$1 million fine after he sneaked out of his home four times while on quarantine. Lu also refused to fill out the requested information upon his return from Xiamen, according to CNA.
Following the fine, Lu was transferred to a facility in Taoyuan to finish his 14-day quarantine. However, Lu intentionally swallowed a large number of sleeping pills Friday morning, forcing quarantine officers to take him to the nearby Taoyuan General Hospital for treatment.
When he was asked to put on a mask before entering the hospital, Lu claimed he did not have the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) and proceeded to spit at the police officers to prove his point. He then shouted at the medical staff from the hospital before pushing them, reported Liberty Times. [FULL STORY
Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/13/2020
By: Fan Cheng-hsiang, Wang Yang-yu and Frances Huang
Taipei, March 13 (CNA) A special budget plan worth NT$60 billion (US$1.99 billion) to support efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19 and cope with its impact on the local economy was approved by the Legislative Yuan Friday.
The bill, which enjoyed widespread support among lawmakers, was passed without any cuts in just 16 days after it was submitted to the Legislature by the Cabinet.
The government will raise NT$30 billion in bond sales and assign a fiscal surplus worth NT$30 billion for the special budget.
According to the approved bill, the special budget will be dated back to Jan. 15, 2020, and will run through June 30, 2021. [FULL STORY]
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 14, 2020
By: Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
Virus Outbreak: American man confirmed as Taiwan’s 50th virus case
The coronavirus outbreak in the US has almost reached “a critical point” and Taiwan could issue a travel warning for the US, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.
However, due to the size of the US, the center would issue the advisories at the state or regional level, he added.
Chen did not answer media queries on whether the US capital, Washington, and the states of Washington, New York and California would be listed first. [FULL STORY]
