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The change in Taipei was subtle but evident. Within hours of authorities announcing the first community transmission of Covid-19 in Taiwan since April, more people were wearing masks in more places, and hand sanitizer dispensers suddenly appeared on doors, positioned so that people had to walk around them to avoid the hint.
As of Tuesday, Taiwan had gone 253 days without a local case of the virus ravaging the rest of the world. The circumstances surrounding the new case have sparked fear and fury.
Health authorities said they had diagnosed a woman in her 30s, a friend of a 60-year-old New Zealand-born resident and pilot, who had flown between the US and Taiwan and moved through Taipei while infected without disclosing. your symptoms or movements to the authorities.
The Taoyuan public health department, where the man lives, said he violated the Communicable Disease Control Act by failing to provide detailed and accurate information and would be fined the maximum penalty of Taiwanese $ 300,000 (£ 8,000). His employer, EVA Air, is investigating and considering firing the pilot, who flew with two co-pilots while coughing and wearing no mask.
President Tsai Ing-wen said the case was a reminder for everyone in Taiwan to be vigilant. “It shows that the pandemic is far from over and that international cooperation is key, because we are all in this together.”
But the pilot’s actions have sparked a furor on Taiwan’s social media, with people linking him to foreigners entering Taiwan, where the vast majority of arrivals must undergo a strictly supervised quarantine, but some, such as crews. aerial, they have exceptions.
“He is bad [at] Self-management. Please strictly monitor aviation industry personnel and do not let them run free, ”said a commenter on Facebook.
“Foreigners who are ill don’t wear masks and go to eat in a department store or restaurant. Nobody knows them. How can we know if they have just arrived in Taiwan or not? “said another.
“Your private life is your business. Please condemn him for his attitude and behavior, but please do not hunt down the Taiwanese who were infected by him. “
Compared to the rest of the world, Taiwan has not been as dramatically affected by Sars-CoV-2 and life is relatively normal. There are no tourists but the economy has grown. But the fear that the virus will break through Taiwan’s defenses is real.
In response to the case, Taiwanese health authorities announced new social distancing regulations, permanent entrances to indoor events are prohibited, and patrons must wear masks at all times and not eat. The government has urged people to consider staying home for the New Years celebrations.
Taiwan has also announced restrictions on foreign flights and marked a tightening of quarantine arrangements for flight crews to 14 days at a government facility. Flight attendants previously only had to isolate themselves for five days and pilots for three. EVA Air flights this week were also canceled.
After acting swiftly on the first reports of a virus in Wuhan, Taiwan’s measures have kept the total of cases at less than 800 cases and just seven deaths. Its success has been attributed to a strong health and disease control framework, rapid government action and skepticism of Beijing’s early guarantees, and a population marked by the Sars outbreak willing to cooperate with anti-disease measures. epidemic. Authorities have been extraordinarily cautious, recently expanding mandatory mask-wearing rules before flu season, with little pushback.
Additional reporting by Pei Lin Wu
