Taiwan's infection rate down, but curbs to stay in place
TAIPEI: Taiwan's new Covid-19 infections have decreased and the outbreak can be controlled, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said yesterday, as he urged the public to follow restrictions, which will stay in place in the coming weeks.
The island reported 347 domestic cases yesterday, including 73 cases added to the totals for recent days, as it continues to readjust its infection numbers amid delays in reporting positive tests.
It marked the second consecutive day in which new cases were below 400, after a rare uptick in domestic cases concentrated in Taipei and its nearby cities.
The increase, which peaked this month, prompted the government to tighten curbs, including banning in-restaurant dining and gatherings.
"The pandemic is heading towards a stage where it can be controlled," Mr Chen told a daily news briefing, saying new cases continued to decline.
He said "aggressive measures" would remain in place for one to two weeks, including fines for people not wearing face masks outside and a halt to wedding banquets and wakes.
He said more stations for rapid tests would be set up in Taiwan's outlying islands, where medical resources are relatively limited.
Taiwan's Parliament yesterday approved an extra NT$420 billion (S$20 billion) in stimulus spending to help the economy deal with the pandemic fallout.
President Tsai Ing-wen said that Taiwan is working hard to get the almost 20 million vaccines it has ordered as soon as possible even in the face of global shortages.
So far, it has given shots to fewer than 2 per cent of its more than 23 million people, though millions of additional doses are on their way.
In a live broadcast from the presidential office, Ms Tsai said vaccine supplies are in high demand, and all governments, including Taiwan's, were working hard to get shots.
"All levels of government, including me, are keeping a close eye on the nearly 20 million vaccines ordered every day so they can be shipped as soon as possible," she said.
Mr Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, said on Saturday that his charity plans to import five million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine into Taiwan. - REUTERS
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