'Sharp rise' Taiwan bans entry to non-nationals after COVID-19 case rise

Taiwan says it is banning the entry of non-nationals without a resident permit and the transit of international airport passengers.

The ban came after reporting a new daily record of 333 locally transmitted Coronavirus cases.

The temporary suspension will be imposed from May 19 to June 18, Health Minister Chen Shih-Chung told a news conference on Monday.

Monday’s number of locally transmitted cases is a sharp rise from Sunday’s previous record daily high of 206, prompting fresh concern about the trajectory of Taiwan’s outbreak.

The sources of infection for dozens of COVID-19 patients remained unidentified, according to the Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC).

Taiwan, which had contained the virus well, in 2020, has seen three-digit numbers of locally transmitted cases since Saturday, when it tightened Coronavirus prevention measures in the Taipei metropolitan area for two weeks.

As of Monday, Taiwan, an island of 23.6 million people, had confirmed a total of just 2,017 cases during the entire pandemic, including 883 locally transmitted cases, and 12 virus-related deaths, according to the CECC.

To lower the risk of transmission, all students from pre-schools to high schools in the two cities were asked to stay home from May 18, until May 28, to lower the risk of transmission.