THREE CASES: Crews of Taiwan’s ‘Friendship Flotilla’ were not allowed to disembark until 30 days after leaving Palau and medical staff reported no infections

Taipei Times
Date:  Apr 19, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced three new COVID-19 cases, three men interning on a navy vessel, and said that more than 700 navy officers and sailors would be taken to centralized quarantine facilities and tested for the novel coronavirus.

With the new cases, Taiwan has confirmed a total of 398 infections, with six fatalities.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that the three men are in their 20s and shared a sleeping compartment on the vessel.

They on Feb. 21 boarded the vessel, whose 337-strong complement visited Palau from March 12 to 15, before continuing on a tour that ended when they disembarked in Kaohsiung on Wednesday, he said.
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