Coronavirus: US health minister must wear mask for historic Taiwan visit

An American health minister and his delegation will have to be tested for the coronavirus before reaching Taiwan and again when they arrive, and they must wear masks, a government official said on Thursday.

Alex Azar, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, will be the most senior US official to visit Taiwan in four decades – a trip that has angered mainland China, which claims the democratic island as its own. Washington broke off official ties with Taipei in 1979 in favour of Beijing.

Taiwan has won praise for its steps to control the coronavirus, including strict border quarantine controls and the widespread wearing of masks, which have won broad public support.

Chuang Jen-hsiang, deputy director general of the Taiwan Centres for Disease Control, told reporters that members of the US delegation would be tested before leaving for Taiwan, and again upon entry at the airport. Only if they are negative will they be allowed in.

“They must wear masks at all times,” Chuang said. “There are rules on where they can go,” he added, saying that Taiwan’s often crowded night markets would not be on the list for private visits.

The members of the US delegation will have to maintain social distancing when meeting government officials, Chuang said. They will also use dedicated lifts “to avoid any risks”, he said.

The date of Azar’s visit has not been announced, but it will happen in the coming days.

He is expected to meet President Tsai Ing-wen as well as Health Minister Chen Shih-chung.

Taiwan has reported 477 cases of the coronavirus and seven deaths. Most cases have been imported, and only a small number of people remain in hospital or isolation.

The United States has more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country, and the wearing of masks has become a heated political issue, with some people objecting to what they see as an infringement of personal freedom.