Taiwan back on coronavirus alert as local clusters grow

The island reintroduces social distancing and mask rules after two new groups of cases emerge
Taiwan in the first stage of community transmission, health minister says

Coronavirus pandemic

Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 8:08pm, 11 May 2021

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Taiwan is reimposing social distancing and mask rules as it grapples with an outbreak of coronavirus cases after months of no local infections.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung rang the alarm bell on Tuesday after two new local clusters were identified – in addition to a previous group linked to the travel industry.

One of the new clusters involved five people – four employees and a regular customer of the Galaxy Baccarat amusement arcade in Yilan county, according to the Central Epidemic Command Centre.

The other new “cluster” involved a member of the Lions Club in New Taipei City, the centre said.

The source of infections were not known.

In addition, the centre reported another case linked to the China Airlines and Novotel airport hotel cluster.

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The new infections on Tuesday took the number of community transmissions since April 20 to 42.

The centre said the people in the clusters had visited many places before they tested positive for the coronavirus, raising the risk of further community transmission.

“As there are different local clusters, we are no longer on the verge of community transmission, but in the [first stage] of community transmission,” Chen said in Taipei.

He said that under such circumstances, the island had to reinstate strict restrictions on large gatherings and the public needed to observe all social distancing and hand sanitation requirements or face heavy fines.

“For the time being, these restrictions will be imposed from today until June 8,” Chen said.

Taiwanese Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says the restrictions will be in place for four weeks. Photo: EPA-EFE

nder the restrictions, businesses will have to monitor customer flows to maintain social distancing and the public are required to wear masks in all public areas and on public transport.

Hospital patients and residents of long-term care facilities will also not be able to have visitors for the next four weeks, according to the centre.

Some concerts have been cancelled until further notice but it was not clear if popular sporting events would be postponed.

Until Tuesday, Taiwan was one of the few parts of the world where big concerts and sporting events, among other gatherings, were allowed.

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Taiwan had been widely praised for its success in containing Covid-19 over the past year.

As of Tuesday, Taiwan had reported 1,210 cases of the disease and 12 deaths since the pandemic started.

The pandemic is on the agenda of a virtual meeting of the World Health Assembly later this month and the island appealed to the World Health Organization to allow it to take part. But the registration deadline passed on Monday without an invitation being issued.

On Tuesday, Taiwanese foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou criticised Beijing for blocking Taiwan’s bid.

Taiwan was ousted from the United Nations body in 1972 – a year after it was expelled from the UN and Beijing joined.

After a long campaign, it rejoined as a WHA observer in 2009, helped by the island’s then president Ma Ying-jeou’s policy of engaging Beijing.

But that status was revoked in 2016 when Tsai Ing-wen was elected president and refused to accept the one-China principle.

Since then, Beijing – which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and is influential in the WHO – has maintained that Taipei can only take part with its consent. And as tensions mount across the Taiwan Strait, that consent has not been forthcoming.