Day: May 25, 2022

Beginning Thursday, all individuals in Taiwan whose positive rapid test result is confirmed by a doctor will be counted as an official COVID-19 case, without having to undergo an additional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.

Rapid test-based diagnoses are currently only available to those in quarantine or isolation, those aged 65 and above, and people living in Indigenous areas or on offshore islands.

The expansion of the policy to include all individuals is so that people can get medication more quickly after contracting COVID-19, thereby lowering their chances of developing severe symptoms, the CECC said.

Rules under the new policy

Under the new policy, individuals who take a rapid COVID-19 test themselves and have the results confirmed by a doctor, or individuals who have a medical worker perform a rapid test on them, will be counted as a COVID-19 case.

Individuals can have their results confirmed via a telemedicine consultation (EUCARE / NHI app), or by heading to a testing site, clinic, or hospital in person.

Those who test positive should write their names and the date the test was performed on the rapid test itself. Those who opt for a remote consultation should take a photo of the test with their National Health Insurance card and send it to a doctor, while those going to an appointment in person should take the test with them in a sealed bag.

Those going to in-person appointments should wear a mask when traveling to the appointment, and must not take public transport and instead drive or walk to the appointment, or have a relative or friend drive them.

During the appointment, a doctor will confirm the positive test result and report the individual as a confirmed COVID-19 case to the CECC if both the doctor and the patient are in agreement on the diagnosis.

PCR tests still available

If the individual and the doctor disagree on the rapid test result, another rapid test will be performed or a PCR test will be arranged, the CECC said.

As Taiwan transitions from PCR-based diagnoses to rapid test-based diagnoses for COVID-19, people with a positive rapid test result can still get a PCR test if they wish to do so, instead of going through the aforementioned steps.

Individuals can also get a PCR test if they have symptoms but test negative on a rapid test, the CECC said.

Individuals will only be required to take a PCR test if their rapid test result is in dispute, or if they need to be admitted to hospital, the CECC said.

Also on Wednesday, the CECC said that Taiwan's Digital COVID-19 Certificate system had begun offering two additional types of documents: one with an individual's positive rapid test result, and the other an isolation notice for people whose co-habitants test positive for the disease.

Previously, the system only offered certificates that displayed one's vaccination status or PCR test results.

Since the new documents became available on the system at 8 a.m., 15,000 people have successfully applied for an isolation notice, while another 5,000 have received a positive rapid test result certificate, the CECC said.

Currently, only people whose co-habitants test positive for COVID-19 and who have not gotten three vaccine doses need to isolate at home.

Such individuals are usually issued an isolation notice automatically, but in some instances where the COVID-19 case has not provided adequate information, the notice cannot be issued.

In such instances, co-habitants without three vaccine doses will need to apply for a notice manually, according to the CECC.

The automatic issuance of isolation notices is highest in southern Taiwan, with 79.3 percent, followed by eastern Taiwan, central Taiwan, and then northern Taiwan, the CECC said.

The CECC said it would continue to work with local governments to improve the system.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

A delegation led by Deputy Economics Minister Chen Chern-chyi (???) met with European Union officials to discuss bilateral economic ties during its trip to Brussels from May 23-24, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

In a statement issued Wednesday, the MOEA said the delegation met with officials from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) during the two-day visit.

DG GROW is responsible for EU policy on the single market, industry, entrepreneurship, and small businesses, according to the European Commission's website.

Both sides exchanged views on bilateral trade and investment relationships and policy, and discussed possible ways to boost bilateral economic ties, the MOEA statement said, without providing details.

The delegation's visit to Brussels is part of a European trip that also includes a stop in Lithuania from May 25-27.

According to the statement, the 24-member delegation, which departed for Europe on May 21, also attended roundtable talks with nearly 20 representatives from European businesses, think tanks, and industry associations.

The talks touched upon cooperative efforts Taiwan and the EU have been engaged in on issues such as supply chains, semiconductors, electric vehicles, and 5G, the statement added.

The delegation also met with Kathleen Van Brempt and Andrey Kovatchev, members of the European Parliament, during their time in Brussels.

Following Brussels, the delegation will head to Lithuania on May 25 for a three-day visit, according to the MOEA.

The ministry said last week that the delegation would visit the Baltic nation for meetings with senior Lithuanian government officials and the country's business community in a bid to strengthen bilateral economic links in such areas as semiconductors, lasers, electric vehicles, and biotech.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The Taiwan Railway Labor Union (TRLU) announced Wednesday that it will cancel a planned strike on Dragon Boat Festival, after progress was made in negotiations with the transport ministry on a plan to corporatize the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA).

Although over 90 percent of the union's 1,400 drivers have expressed their support for the plan to strike on the traditional festival, which falls on June 3 this year, union leaders decided to make a concession after "receiving a show of goodwill from the government," said TRLU Chairman Chen Shih-chieh (???).

According to the union, the government moved toward its position on safety, asset management, workers' benefits, and future negotiations on 16 subsidiary regulations of the draft Taiwan Railway Corporation Act, which could likely have its third reading in the Legislature on Friday.

The union staged a one day strike on May 1 in protest over the draft legislation which would convert the TRA into a public corporation after consistently arguing there has been a lack of consultation between the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and TRA workers.

However, during negotiations last week, the ministry agreed to compromise on several key issues brought up by the union, including the establishment of a safety committee in the new company which will include grassroots TRA workers, he said.

The government also agreed to maintain current benefits for TRA workers after the transition, following the model of Chunghwa Post Co., which remained an MOTC agency until it was corporatized in 2003, according to the union.

In addition, Chen suggested that threats of a strike in the near future may be less effective given the drop off in passengers due to the surge in domestic COVID-19 cases.

Labor action could hurt the union, TRA and passengers if not properly managed, he said.

In response, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (???) said he was grateful for the union's decision, calling it a "good start" for both sides to resolve differences.

However, Chen said the union is still considering the possibility of a strike during Mid-Autumn Festival in September, Double Ten Day in October and other national holidays, depending on whether the MOTC keeps its promises.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel