TAIWAN was not spared by the Covid-19 pandemic, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Representative Michael Peiyung Hsu acknowledged on Friday, but it posted GDP growth of 3.1 percent while economies of other countries have suffered.
Speaking at the BusinessMirror Coffee Club Hsu ticked off the main factors be saw behind their country Taiwan’s success: a robust health system, rigorous testing strategies, and Public-Private Partnership.
“[Because of these] We were able to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic,” Hsu said.
He noted that Taiwan did not implement a lockdown, such that, in their case, “people went to [their] work, students [went] to school, there were football games that we enjoyed.”
Still, he stressed that Taiwan is taking the pandemic seriously and had raised the Covid-19 alert level to level 2. This means:
- Domestically transmitted cases from unknown sources are closely being tracked.
- Fines are imposed on violations of masking guidelines.
- Cancellation of outdoor gatherings of 500+ people and indoor gatherings of 100+ people.
- Public gatherings must implement social distancing, mask-wearing/partitions, an identification-based registration system, temperature checks, crowd controls and routine disinfection or be cancelled.
- Places of business must impose crowd controls; those unable to implement necessary epidemic prevention measures should temporarily suspend operations.
- When necessary, the Central Epidemic Command Center may order the closure of entertainment or leisure-related businesses or public venues.
“This year, we will continue the anti-pandemic measures and closely watch the pandemic,” Hsu said at the BusinessMirror Coffee Club.
As of May 12, Covid-19 cases in Taiwan stood at 1,231.
Taiwan, which has been relatively Covid-free in 2020 with about 1,200 cases and 12 deaths, is experiencing a spike in Covid cases.
The lockdown order was issued after more than 200 domestic cases were discovered, mostly in Taipei and New Taipei City in the Northern part; with a few cases in the central part of the island-nation.
Thus, it barred the entry of foreign workers from May 14 to 31. The order, issued last May 14, included the suspension of the centralized quarantine quarters.
The command center ordered companies utilizing migrant workers to notify the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) that Taiwan will not be accepting Filipino workers for the May 14-31 period, owing to the lack of quarantine facilities available for OFWs who were all scheduled to leave for Taiwan this week, including new hires and vacationing workers.
The 150,000 OFWs on the island represent more than a third of migrant workers in Taiwan’s electronic and assembly factories.
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