Radio Taiwan International
Date: 20 March, 2020
By: Natalie Tso
[How to deal with COVID-19 anxiety]
Avoiding Anxiety
Page Two
No man is an island
Popu9la
Date: Mar 23, 2020
By: Brian Hioe
In Taiwan so far there have been no nationwide lockdowns, life continues as normal, and as of writing, there are only around two hundred cases in the island as a whole. This may be due to the quick response of the Taiwanese government,with interventions by the state into private industry. Taiwan also has universal healthcare, and a functioning government.
Still, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has quadrupled in Taiwan in the last week. That’s life. Sometimes you’ll be watching a disaster unfold from afar and then suddenly it’s upon you.
A friend, a Chinese student currently doing a Ph.D. in Taiwan, hasn’t left home at all for over a month. She’s from Wenzhou, one of the most heavily affected areas in China. She’s been attending class through video-conferencing software.
After it started getting bad, I tried contacting an ex from Hubei—the province where the virus originated—whom I hadn’t spoken to in a while, but no response on email or text. I’m no longer on WeChat because of security concerns, so I couldn’t get in contact. But I managed eventually to make contact through a mutual friend—they were alright and in Beijing. That was a relief.
[FULL STORY]
‘It’s the [communist] bandit virus’: Taiwanese spoof news corrects Trump
EYECTV delivers satirical report enlightening US president on acceptable names for coronavirus
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/23
By: Eric Stone, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer
(YouTube, EYECTV screenshot)
On March 20, 2020, Eye Central Television (EYECTV) responded to Trump’s use of the term “Chinese virus” with tongue-in-cheek condemnation: “This is unacceptable; this virus has nothing to do with the Republic of China (ROC).”
This satirical take is rooted in the program’s premise of a Nationalist Party (KMT) state media organization obsessed with reclaiming Mainland China from the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC), targeted at an audience that identifies as Taiwanese and resents being labeled as Chinese nationals.
Boasting over 800,000 subscribers, EYECTV is a parody of CCTV (China Central Television), and its hosts deliver their satirical reports in sharp, monotone Mandarin, with the female half of the duo, Milia Eye, sporting a lofty, heavily hairsprayed do reminiscent of state media anchors of the 80s, around the end of Taiwan’s martial law period. [FULL STORY]
Express bus service between Tainan, Kaohsiung Airport to be suspended
Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/23/2020
By: Yang Sz-ruei and Joseph Yeh
Photo courtesy of Tainan’s Tourism Bureau
The bus service dubbed "the Tainan Express" will be suspended indefinitely beginning April 1, as nearly 85 percent of all flights arriving and departing from Kaohsiung International Airport have already been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, the city's Tourism Bureau said in a press release.
It is estimated that very few passengers will use the express service in the near future as the central government has since March 19 barred most foreign nationals from entering the country, and required all arrivals who do enter the country, regardless of nationality, to go into self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, the bureau noted.
Those who have already booked a ticket for the bus service after April 1 will be given a full refund and those who have further questions can call 0800-889-116, it added. [FULL STORY]
Virus Outbreak: Taiwan not yet able to export masks: ministry
MISINFORMATION: The 100,000 masks given to ally Paraguay were bought in other Latin American nations, not made in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 24, 2020
By: Staff writer, with CNA
Taiwan has not yet reached a point where it can export masks to diplomatic allies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, dismissing as misinformation online reports that it gave away masks to curry favor with a diplomatic ally.
“Taiwan provides med-ical aid to diplomatic allies based upon specific circumstances,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said, adding that the supplements donated by Taiwan were all purchased locally in allied countries, in accordance with their needs.
“The time is not yet ripe” for Taiwan to export medical supplies, such as surgical masks, to diplomatic allies, until it is able to satisfy domestic demand, Wu said.
He was answering questions from reporters about reports that the ministry contravened the export ban by donating 100,000 masks to Paraguay, despite a domestic shortage. [FULL STORY]
Taiwanese doctor creates cheap protective device amid virus crisis
Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/22/2020
By: By Lee Hsien-feng and Emerson Lim
Lai Hsien-yung (賴賢勇)
This improvised "Aerosol Box," which helps physicians perform endotracheal intubations, was created by Lai Hsien-yung (賴賢勇), an anesthesiologist with Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien, Taiwan.
"It all started when my friends in the medical field in China asked me in January to design something to give additional protection to medical workers in facilities that were running out of resources," Lai wrote in Chinese on his Facebook page.
"But now, most of the inquiries I get about the box are coming from my friends in the United States," Lai said. [FULL STORY]
Virus Outbreak: Taipei adds 4th quarantine hotel
ADEQUATE COVERAGE: New Taipei City, which has more than 9,500 people under home quarantine, said it would add another 450 rooms at its disease prevention hotels
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 23, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The Taipei City Government has added a fourth designated disease prevention hotel, allowing people under 14-day home quarantine to isolate themselves from NT$5,000 per day, it said yesterday.
The Taipei Department of Information and Tourism launched the first disease prevention hotel on Feb. 21 to accommodate travelers without a place to stay during mandatory home isolation or quarantine, and for people who want to separate themselves from their family members or roommates during quarantine.
The department said that as of yesterday, more than 120 travelers have stayed at one of the city’s three disease prevention hotels, and their 178 rooms are nearly all booked.
While most people who checked in to the hotels last week were from Europe, guests that checked in yesterday were all from the US and Canada, it said. [FULL STORY]
China, South Korea, Taiwan sending masks and medical staff to other countries in need
The Chinese Red Cross shipped 30 tons of medical equipment along with nine Chinese medical staff to assist with preventing and controlling the virus.
NBC News
Date: March 21, 2020
By: Cynthia Silva
Doctors and members of the Chinese Red Cross pose for a photo prior to a press conference in Rome on March 13, 2020.Alfredo Falcone / LaPresse via AP file
As new cases in Asian countries have dropped sharply — though all three countries are facing a second wave of infections — businesses, individuals and officials have said they are sending masks, staff and more.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu announced Wednesday that the country plans to donate 100,000 masks to the United States on a weekly basis once its supplies are stable. In exchange, the United States will reserve 300,000 hazmat suits for Taiwan, according to local reports.
Individuals are also offering help, as well. Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, for example, tweeted images of 500,000 virus testing kits and 1 million masks set to arrive in the United States.
[FULL STORY]
CECC prepares 400 beds for migrant workers subject to home quarantine
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/21
By: Central News Agency
Taiwan's Central Epidemic Control Center (CECC) has made available 400 beds at several quarantine locations for the use of migrant workers who must undergo home quarantine for 14 days, based upon their needs.
From Thursday, foreign nationals have been barred from entry into Taiwan, a drastic measure adopted by the CECC as part of efforts to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Friday, Taiwan had confirmed 135 cases of the coronavirus disease, of which 102 were imported, with two fatalities.
The entry ban does not effect migrant workers who are currently overseas and have re-entry permits. However, they will have to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return to Taiwan.
[FULL STORY]
Taiwan ranked happiest country in East, Southeast Asia: survey
Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/21/2020
By: William Yen
One of Taiwan’s electric-techno neon gods / Image taken from Pixabay for illustrative purposes only
The report, produced by the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranked Taiwan 25th in the world among 153 countries and regions for happiness based on such criteria as GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.
Regionally, Taiwan topped its neighbors Singapore, which was ranked 31st, the Philippines (52nd), Thailand (54th), South Korea (61st), Japan (62nd), and Hong Kong (78th).
Other countries finishing further back were Mongolia (81st), Malaysia (82nd), Vietnam (83rd), Indonesia (84th), China (94th), Laos (104th), Cambodia (106th), and Myanmar (133rd).
[FULL STORY]
