Japan is removed from CECC’s list of medium-risk countries as its coronavirus cases continue to increase


PublishTime:2020-08-05
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that no additional cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were confirmed in Taiwan on August 5. The CECC reported that a cumulative total of 82,525 cases related to COVID-19 have been reported in Taiwan among which COVID-19 has been ruled out in 81,443. Of these reported cases, infection with COVID-19 was laboratory-confirmed in 476 cases. Of 476 confirmed cases in Taiwan, 384 are imported; 55 are indigenous; 36 are naval crew members aboard the Panshi fast combat support ship, and 1 case has yet to be clarified. Of the confirmed cases, there have been 7 deaths, and 443 patients have been released from isolation, with the other 26 patients remaining hospitalized in isolation.

Regarding the Thai migrant worker found to have COVID-19 after he returned to Thailand from Taiwan as announced by Thai authorities on July 27, the CECC stated that after Thai authorities gave the migrant worker a second test, the test result was inconclusive. The migrant worker’s female friend who had returned to Thailand with him tested negative for COVID-19. Furthermore, Taiwan’s health authority has collected specimens from 253 individuals who had come into contact with the migrant worker in Taiwan, and those contacts all have tested negative after undergoing PCR tests and antibody tests. As the monitoring period for those contacts has ended, the investigation into the case is considered complete.

The CECC also announced the updated list of countries/regions eligible for shortened quarantine periods in Taiwan. The CECC reported that coronavirus cases are rapidly increasing in Japan, with more than 1,000 new cases per day, and the majority of those cases are recorded in Japan’s urban areas that have frequent social exchanges and travel with Taiwan. In consideration of the status of the pandemic in the country, the CECC has removed Japan from the category of medium-risk countries. The latest list of eligible countries/regions is as follows:
1. Low-risk countries/regions: New Zealand, Macao, Palau, Fiji, Brunei, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar.
2. Medium-risk countries/regions: South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka.