Once a success story, Taiwan faces its worst Covid-19 outbreak

Colleges, movie theatres, museums, indoor swimming pools and amusement parks are among the places ordered closed under the level three

Once a success story, Taiwan faces its worst Covid-19 outbreak

Pedestrians cross a street in New Taipei City wearing face masks after Taiwan bumped up its alert level in some locations in the wake of a new wave of Coronavirus infections. Pic/AFP

The island of Taiwan, which has had enviable success in containing Covid-19, imposed new restrictions in its capital city on Saturday as it battled its worst outbreak since the pandemic began.

Authorities raised the alert level for Taipei, the capital, and the surrounding area of New Taipei city. The level 3 alert, which remains in effect for two weeks, requires people to wear a mask outdoors and limits indoor gatherings to five people and outdoor gatherings to 10 people.

Health authorities said that 180 new locally spread cases had been confirmed. That’s more than the total of 164 cases previously confirmed for the entire pandemic period. The daily number of new cases rose steadily from single digits early this week to 29 before the triple-digit jump was announced on Saturday. “The epidemic is gaining intensity,” Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said, while noting that more cases are being identified. Taiwan, a self-governing island of about 24 million people off China’s east coast, has kept the virus largely at bay.

The total number of locally spread cases more than tripled in the past week to 344 from under 100 as of last weekend.

CDC data shows racial disparities in US vaccination

Data from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that vaccination rates among Black, Hispanic and Asian people are lower than those for the number of White people, and “these groups represent a smaller share of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 than their share of the US population overall,” it said.

Masks off, Poles cheer

Pic/AFP
Pic/AFP

Poles pulled off their masks, hugged their friends and made toasts to their regained freedom as restaurants, bars and pubs reopened for the first time in seven months and the government dropped a requirement for people to cover their faces outdoors. The reopening, for now limited to the outdoor consumption of food and drinks, officially took place on Saturday. Some brought their own beer to hold them over until they could buy drinks at midnight. DJs were finally back at work and waiters and waitresses were rushing to fill orders once again.

16,26,11,692
TOTAL Number OF CORONAVIRUS cases

CASES IN THE WORLD

33,73,521
Number OF DEATHS WORLDWIDE

14,05,14,072
Number OF RECOVERED PATIENTS

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