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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》No new cases for fourth straight day
Students eat their lunch at desks with plastic partitions as a preventive measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 at Dajia Elementary School in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
REMAINING VIGILANT: People should feel comfortable whether or not they plan to travel this weekend, but they should not let their guard down, the health minister said
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The nation yesterday reported no new cases of COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） said, adding that 311 patients have been removed from isolation after recovering.
It was the fourth consecutive day with no new confirmed cases and the 17th consecutive day with no new domestic cases.
People can feel light-hearted regardless of whether they plan stay at home or travel during the International Workers’ Day long weekend, but they should not let their guard down, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung （陳時中）, who heads the center.
The CECC’s goal now is to withdraw the line of defense back to “individuals,” meaning that if everyone in society can maintain good personal hygiene and practice social distancing, the chain of infection between people would be broken, preventing large-scale outbreaks, and regulations could gradually be loosened, allowing people to lead more normal lives, he said.
“Everyone is happy to hear that there are no new cases, but it does not mean there are no sources of infection anymore, so it is important that everyone foster good living habits,” Chen said.
Asked whether hostess bars and nightclubs that were ordered to suspend operations could reopen, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen （陳宗彥）, deputy head of the center, said that the CECC thanks local governments and businesses for their cooperation, but hopes that they can “hold on for a little longer.”
The center is still observing the COVID-19 situation, as well as how well people perform in conducting self-health management, he said.
Local governments have ordered recreational facilities to implement real-name registration systems to keep track of customers, Chen said.
Asked about an interview with Academia Sinica President James Liao （廖俊智） published in the Chinese-language Mirror Media weekly yesterday — in which he cited an Academia Sinica research team as suggesting that there might be six types of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and that viral evolutionary changes might lead to a higher mortality rate — CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen （張上淳） said that it is possible that changes to the virus could lead to a higher mortality rate, but the rate could also be affected by other factors.
As Taiwan has a relatively low incidence rate and high-quality healthcare, it has a low mortality rate, he said.
However, the mortality rate could increase if the healthcare system were overwhelmed, he added.
Seven patients in Taiwan are on a ventilator in intensive care units, but their conditions are relatively stable, Chang said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung takes questions during a briefing on the COVID-19 situation at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Central Epidemic Command Center
