Taiwan postpones referendums as it continues to battle Covid-19 surge
- The authorities have delayed four ballots until December, including one on a proposal to allow US pork imports containing a controversial additive
- The island has been battling a surge in cases over the past two months, including a new outbreak at a market in Taipei
Taiwan will postpone four referendums due to be held next month because of fears about the spread of Covid-19, the election commission said on Friday, as the government raced to contain a new outbreak at a Taipei wholesale food market.
“Given that the referendum day will be the country’s largest movement and gathering of people, at this time of the pandemic spreading it is advisable to avoid the serious consequences of an outbreak from people getting together,” commission chairman Lee Chin-yung said.
The two most important ones are on whether to ban pork containing a leanness-enhancing additive, while the other concerns whether to change the site of a planned new liquefied natural gas terminal to protect the maritime environment.
Taiwan to access Novavax Covid-19 vaccine through the Covax Facility
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said the market at the centre of the new outbreak has been closed for three days, and there were likely to be more infections confirmed as the results of tests came through.
“We have been continuing tests this morning, so can’t rule out there will be new cases,” he said.
Chen announced 57 new domestic cases, but said 41 cases at the market had yet to be included in the official tally. Taipei’s city government only confirmed those cases early on Friday.
Former Taiwan KMT leader plans to get Covid-19 shot on mainland China
The market is in Taipei’s Wanhua district, a hotspot where many of the initial infections in May were first reported.
Taiwan’s tally of infections stands at 14,911 since the pandemic began, including 676 deaths.
