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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Russian dancers positive for virus
Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang reports on the current COVID-19 situation at the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei on Tuesday. Photo: CNA
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
The Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） yesterday reported seven imported cases of COVID-19 infection, including four members of a Russian ballet company that was originally scheduled to perform its first show in Taipei yesterday, as it extended a temporary entry ban on Indonesian migrant workers.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung （陳時中）, who heads the center, said that all of the seven had provided a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction （PCR） test result issued within three days of boarding a plane to Taiwan and that only one of them developed symptoms during quarantine.
One of them is a Filipino in his 20s who arrived in Taiwan on Dec. 1. He was tested upon ending centralized quarantine on Monday and the result came back positive yesterday, Chen said.
Another case is a Philippine fisherman in his 20s who arrived in Taiwan on Nov. 29 and was quarantined at a hotel until Sunday.
He underwent a paid test arranged by his recruitment agency on Monday, Chen said, adding that another person who rode in the same vehicle with him and did not wear a mask has been ordered into home isolation.
Another case is a Taiwanese man in his 40s who traveled to the US in March to visit relatives and returned home on Dec. 8. He developed chills and a fever on Friday and Saturday, followed by the loss of smell and taste during home quarantine on Sunday. He underwent a test the same day, which came out positive.
Four other cases — two men and two women, aged between 20 and 70 — are members of a Russian ballet company that was invited to perform in Taiwan, he said, adding that they arrived on Nov. 29 and stayed in a quarantine hotel until Sunday.
The organizer on Monday arranged paid COVID-19 testing for the company members, he said.
Four of them were yesterday confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 and immediately hospitalized, he said.
The ballet company — Moscow Classical Ballet, under Natalia Kasatkina and Vladimir Vasilev — was invited by udnFunLife （聯合數位文創）. It was scheduled to perform at the National Theater in Taipei from yesterday to Sunday.
Company members stayed in separate rooms during their 14-day quarantine and underwent testing in small groups, Chen said.
The four confirmed cases have relatively high cycle threshold values, indicating a low viral load, and they were hospitalized immediately, so it is very unlikely that they have transmitted the disease to other members, he said.
Nevertheless, the CECC asked Taipei Veterans General Hospital to conduct emergency testing on the remaining 48 members of the company yesterday, he said, adding that if more members test positive, the CECC might suspend their performances.
Deputy Minister of Culture Hsiao Tsung-huang （蕭宗煌） said the ministry gives disease prevention the highest priority, so the organizer had submitted high-standard disease prevention plans approved by the CECC before the company was allowed to perform in Taiwan.
The members rode elevators in groups of three, wore masks and rehearsed in small groups after being released from mandatory quarantine, so they did not have much close contact with each other, he said.
A representative from udnFunLife told the CECC news conference that yesterday’s performance had been canceled.
The National Theater and Concert Hall issued a statement saying that the shows scheduled for today might be affected by the CECC’s order for the company members to be tested again.
The concert hall said it has disinfected the venue and asked its staff members who were on site during a rehearsal on Tuesday to work from home until the company members’ test results come out.
Meanwhile, Chen announced that the temporary entry ban on Indonesian migrant workers, which was implemented on Dec. 4, would be extended.
The COVID-19 situation in Indonesia is still serious, with about 6,000 cases reported daily, he said.
Between Oct. 1 and Tuesday, 132 Indonesians migrant workers were confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19, 76 of whom had provided a negative PCR test result before boarding a plane for Taiwan, Chen said.
Among the 11 confirmed cases in October, two had provided a negative PCR test result; of the 81 confirmed cases last month, 42 people had a negative test result; and among the 40 confirmed cases this month, as of Tuesday, 32 had a negative test result, Chen said.
Compared with other countries, the inaccuracy rate of the negative test reports provided by travelers from Indonesia is significantly higher, and the inaccuracy rate has been increasing, he said.
“We cannot bear the risk anymore,” Chen said, adding that the CECC had asked Indonesian authorities to provide a list of government-certified healthcare facilities that can provide accurate test results, but they have not been willing to provide such a list, so the entry ban would be extended until there is progress in certifying such facilities.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
