《TAIPEI TIMES》Tough measures taken for Czech visit

SPECIALISTS: Members of the 90-strong delegation would use separate elevators and restrooms, and would have Taiwanese officials escorting them at all times

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

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High-standard disease prevention measures have been prepared for a Czech delegation that is to arrive in Taiwan today, the Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） said yesterday.

The 90-member delegation, headed by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, is to visit Taiwan until Friday to bolster bilateral economic, scientific and cultural ties.

Centers for Disease Control （CDC） Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang （莊人祥）, who is also the CECC spokesman, said that delegation members would have negative polymerase chain reaction （PCR） test certificates issued within three days before their departure, and be given another test by physicians at their hotel after they check in today.

They would be given a third PCR test on Tuesday, he added.

“Although there are a large number of people in the Czech delegation, the standard of disease prevention measures is no lower than those for the US and Japanese delegations” that visited earlier this month, Chuang said.

The Czech delegation would arrive and leave on a chartered plane, and delegation members would use designated vehicles for transportation during their stay in Taiwan, he said.

An entourage from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would accompany delegation members during their visit, he added.

“In addition to the Legislative Yuan, we also had specialists inspect several other venues that the delegation will visit to plan the routes they will take and the places where they will have meals,” he said. “The elevators they will use are to be separate from those used by other people, as will the restrooms.”

The CECC sent specialists to assess some of the venues, while in some cases the venue managers visited the center to discuss disease prevention plans, Chuang said.

The center might send CDC physicians to attend some of the important events that the delegation would participate in to oversee the implementation of disease control measures, he added.

Separately yesterday, the CECC confirmed a new case of COVID-19 in a man who returned from the Philippines, marking the nation’s 488th confirmed case.

The man is a Taiwanese in his 40s who traveled to the Philippines in February for business and returned to Taiwan on Thursday, Chuang said.

The man reported having developed a sore throat on Aug. 20, but the symptom improved after a couple of days, so he did not seek medical attention in the Philippines, Chuang said.

He reported his condition to airport quarantine officers upon his arrival in Taiwan, Chuang added.

The man was tested for COVID-19 at the airport and taken to a centralized quarantine facility, while he waited for the test result, which came back positive yesterday, he said.

The patient does not show any symptoms, but is being isolated at a hospital, Chuang said.

Eleven passengers who sat close to him on the flight to Taiwan have been put under home isolation and five flight crew members have been ordered to practice self-health management, he added.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES