CENTRALIZED QUARANTINE: National Taiwan University public health experts said that digital contact tracing for foreign students and workers needs to be improved

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 29, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

National Taiwan University public health experts yesterday said that all foreign students and workers should undergo a centralized quarantine upon arrival in Taiwan, as well as being tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and departure.

The Central Epidemic Command Center on Monday reported a case of a Thai worker who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Thailand from Taiwan last week, saying that it could not rule out the possibility that it was a locally acquired case.

National Taiwan University College of Public Health dean Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) said that following last month’s case of a student testing positive for COVID-19 in Japan after returning from Taiwan and the new case in Thailand, many people are worried about asymptomatic carriers in local communities in Taiwan.

“The cases imply that there is a remaining threat of potential asymptomatic carriers in local communities,” Chan said. “They also tell us that foreign students and workers should undergo a mandatory centralized quarantine, as it would be difficult to do contact tracing if a positive case is confirmed among them.”    [FULL  STORY]