Taipei Times
Date: Jan 21, 2020
By: Lee I-chia and Shelley Shan / Staff reporters
Taiwan yesterday set up an epidemic response command center to contain the spread of a new
![](https://i2.wp.com/www.eyeontaiwan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/P01-200121-pic1B.jpg?resize=375%2C309&ssl=1)
An undated photograph shows a public health notice prepared by the Nantou County Government on the novel coronavirus 2019.
Photo courtesy of the Nantou County Government
With the novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV) infection spreading to other Asian nations and many people expected to return from China during the Lunar New Year holiday, the Executive Yuan yesterday afternoon approved a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) plan to establish a level 3 National Health Command Center, CDC Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said.
The command center, led by Chou, is to be in charge of holding cross-ministerial discussions to improve preventive measures against “severe pneumonia with novel pathogens” in the nation.
Taiwan currently has 44 million surgical masks and 1.9 million N95 masks, more than enough to meet demand, Chou said. [FULL STORY]