COMMUNITY IMPACT: As the virus comes with relatively less clear symptoms than SARS, preventing the spread of asymptomatic cases remains central to the nation’s efforts
Taipei Times
Date: Aug 27, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung smiles as he talks to reporters at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday.
Photo copied by Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
Since the center loosened mandatory COVID-19 prevention rules and started promoting the “new disease prevention lifestyle” on June 7, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who also heads the CECC, said he has increasingly seen people letting their guard down.
Chen said that the center encourages people to practice social distancing or wear a mask in eight types of crowded or enclosed spaces — healthcare and long-term care facilities, public transportation, marketplaces, education sites, show or competition venues, religious venues, recreational sites, and at large events.
Local governments can set mandatory mask-wearing rules at these sites if they deem it necessary, and set penalties for people who do not follow the rules, Chen said, adding that local governments are required to inform the CECC about their rules before implementing them.
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