Man fined $ 5000 for breaking Taiwan’s Covid-19 quarantine for 8 seconds

A man in Taiwan was fined a whopping NZ $ 5,000 after violating the country’s strict Covid-19 quarantine regulations for just 8 seconds.

The man, a migrant worker from the Philippines, was quarantined at a hotel in Kaohsiung City when he briefly stepped out of his room into the hallway, the city’s Health Department told Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

During his 8 seconds in the hallway, staff captured him on CCTV.

They then contacted the Department of Health.

He was then fined 100,000 Taiwanese dollars, around 5,000 New Zealand dollars.

Taiwan has one of the strictest Covid-19 quarantine restrictions in the world.

People cannot leave their hotel rooms, not even for a second.

The Health Department said this serves as a warning to others not to break the rules, even for such a short period of time.

“People in quarantine should not think that they will not be fined for leaving their hotel room.”

There are 56 hotels under quarantine in Kaohsiung City, with a total of around 3,000 rooms, the department told CNA.

Taiwan has been praised as one of the world leaders in the fight against Covid-19.

The island of 23 million people has recorded just 716 cases and seven deaths.

The country has never had to impose strict blockades, instead focusing on a swift response.

Taiwanese officials began screening passengers on direct flights from Wuhan on December 31, 2019, when the world knew little about Covid-19 and its existence.

The government also invested in massive testing and fast and effective contact tracing.