Taiwan keeps border controls despite fall in Covid-19 cases, citing Delta variant
- Spread of the variant in many countries still requires ‘current stringency of our border control’, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says
- Island records eight new infections on Monday, as its recent outbreak continues to recede
“As the Delta variant has remained rampant in many countries in the world, there is a need to maintain the current stringency of our border control and strict control of international and domestic flights,” Chen said in a statement following a meeting of the self-ruled island’s cabinet.
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The global spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19
The island has been fighting a spike in cases since late April – its worst outbreak since the pandemic began – but the situation has been brought under control after health authorities imposed soft lockdown measures.
Eight cases were reported on Monday, four of them local – the same number of local cases recorded on Sunday and a marked improvement from the high of 721 local cases on May 22.
The drop in cases has prompted local travel agencies to raise questions about the possibility of easing border control to allow foreign tourists to visit the island. After Chen ruled out doing so, Su directed government ministries to strictly uphold border controls to protect the public, Monday’s statement said.
Why is the Delta coronavirus variant quicker to make people sick?
Taiwan has imposed strict border controls throughout the pandemic, restricting foreigners from visiting unless for special reasons such as emergencies and on humanitarian grounds that are assessed case by case.
Under local rules, Taiwanese returning to the island and foreigners permitted to visit in special circumstances are required to enter quarantine for 14 days and undergo testing before they may leave.
As well as the eight new infections, four deaths were reported on Monday, taking the island’s total to 15,790 cases and 813 fatalities.