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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 CECC has remained transparent, honest and humble: Chen
Center left to right, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiang Yung-chang, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung and Rotary International 3481 district governor Lee Wen-sen pose for a photograph with Rotary International members at a medical equipment donation event in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter
The Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） has maintained a strategy of transparency, honesty and humility from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung （陳時中） said yesterday, after China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday called him an “expert” in concealment.
In its fight against the novel coronavirus, the center’s strategy “has not changed since day one,” Chen, who heads the center, said at the center’s daily news conference in Taipei.
Time will tell whether the decisions made by the center were correct, he said.
“The virus is dividing people,” Chen said, adding that the battle should be returned to being between humanity and the disease.
The center yesterday reported one new imported case of COVID-19, ending a 13-day streak of no new infections in the nation.
The patient — the nation’s 441st case — is a man in his 30s who had traveled to Mexico in late January for work and returned to Taiwan on Wednesday, Chen said.
While in Mexico, the man had a fever from April 30 to May 1, and a slight cough on May 5, followed by diarrhea from Monday to Wednesday last week, he said.
Upon his arrival, the man reported his symptoms and was sent to a quarantine facility after being tested at the airport, Chen said.
The man had exercised caution on his trip back by wearing a mask and protective clothing throughout the flight, and did not have contact with any family members or friends in Taiwan, he said.
Yesterday marked 39 days since the last local transmission was recorded.
Of the nation’s confirmed cases, 407 patients had been released from isolation as of yesterday, up from 402 on Wednesday.
There have been seven deaths from COVID-19 in Taiwan.
Despite yesterday’s new case, the community remains safe, Chen said, adding that no new preventive measures needed to be implemented and that the center would continue to work toward reopening the nation.
Asked about the center’s plans to modify quarantine rules for foreigners entering Taiwan for business purposes, Chen said that for now, the loosening of restrictions for business travelers would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
A one-size-fits-all guideline would not be released until after the pandemic subsides, he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has advised schools that if they take comprehensive disease prevention measures, they would be allowed to host large events — including graduation ceremonies — without needing to limit the number of attendees to 100 for indoor events and 500 for outdoor events.
Such measures should include social distancing or the wearing of masks, measuring the body temperature of attendees, real-name registration, and crowd control and sanitation practices, it said.
Chen said that while the center approves of the hosting of graduation ceremonies, parents should not be allowed “unlimited” access.
Additional reporting by Rachel Lin and Wu Liang-yi
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
