《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taiwan listed as ‘low risk’ country for US travelers

By Lin Chia-nan / Staff Reporter, with CNA

The US on Thursday removed a warning against all international travel, and placed Taiwan on a list of 13 destinations where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is “very low.”

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The list was compiled almost five months after the US Department of State issued a “global level 4 health advisory,” urging US citizens to avoid all international travel.

On Thursday, the department announced that it was lifting the advisory, saying that “with health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention （CDC） also updated their travel advisories, warning against non-essential travel to more than 200 countries and territories classified as “high risk.”

Meanwhile, Taiwan was listed as one of only 13 destinations without a travel advisory, as the risk of COVID-19 transmission was deemed “very low,” according to the CDC website.

As of Thursday, Taiwan had reported 477 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The Central Epidemic Command Center said that 443 patients have recovered, seven have died, and 27 are in hospital.

In related news, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou （歐江安） yesterday said that an employee at the nation’s representative office in Paris was on Wednesday confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.

The office in April reported its first case — the first among all overseas diplomatic workers — with the patient having recovered and returned to work in May.

The new patient showed cold symptoms on Monday and received a COVID-19 test the next day, Ou said, adding that the patient only had limited contact to others in the past few weeks and is isolated at home.

Another employee who had close contact with the patient was put in home isolation for 14 days, and would receive a COVID-19 test if required by doctors, Ou said.

The premises of the representative office have been disinfected, and employees are required to work remotely — if possible — to reduce contact between employees, she said.

Considering that the pandemic situation in France is still unstable, the ministry might suspend the office’s consular service if any more cases are reported, she said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES