quarantine

Grieving migrant worker forcefully restrained after escaping from quarantine hotel

man wrapped in bedsheet stands off with police in carpark
Society 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , ,

A migrant worker was sprayed with pepper spray and restrained by police and paramedics after he jumped from the third floor of a quarantine hotel in Hualien County yesterday, after receiving news that his mother had died. According to reports, the 29-year-old Indonesian national had been staying in the quarantine hotel after testing positive for COVID-19, and was due to return to work today, May 10. However, on the morning of May 9, the man received news of his mothers

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Quarantined residents treated like prison inmates: food delivered searched for drugs and contraband

food opened, crushed, and dug through in search for contraband
Society 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , , ,

A college student complained that food delivered by her family while she resided in a quarantine facility was opened, dug through, and crushed by quarantine personnel, making her feel that she was being treated like a criminal, but the Minister of Health and Welfare said that this was “necessary.” The college student revealed the information along with pictures on the student-oriented social media platform “D-card,” on February 17th. The pictures showed that packets of snacks such as potato chips were

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Quarantine death hotel building to be demolished

Qiaoyou Building Changhua City
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The building that housed a hotel used for COVID-19 quarantine until four people died in a fire after being told to stay put in their rooms will be demolished by the end of the year, the Changhua County Government announced yesterday, February 15. In June 2021, a fire broke out in the empty bottom floors of the building, leading to the death of three quarantined hotel “guests,” and a firefighter who went to their assistance after hotel managers told them

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When fear of infection overcomes rationality: three charged for quarantine hotel fire deaths

Qiaoyou building fire
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

The operator and two staff of a hotel used for quarantine have been indicted on charges of negligent homicide, and negligent injury, following an inquiry into a fire in a building that left four people dead and 22 injured in Changhua City, Taiwan, June 2021. See previous story: Four dead including one firefighter in COVID quarantine hotel fire The Changhua District Prosecutor’s Office charged Cai Jinfeng, Shen Yiqian, and Wu Songrong, after finding that they did not immediately notify the

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400 residents of building ordered into compulsory quarantine

residents board buses for compulsory quarantine
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Around 400 residents of a building in Banqiao District were suddenly ordered into quarantine facilities this morning as authorities escalate their response to a cluster of cases testing positive for COVID-19 at a nearby kindergarten. The building is one of two forming a gated community that share an outdoor entrance and exit. The 905 residents from 209 households in the two buildings were tested for COVID-19 yesterday. Six people, all residents of building B, returned positive results. New Taipei City

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Four dead including one firefighter in COVID quarantine hotel fire

firetrucks at scene of quarantine hotel fire in Changhua City
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Four people died, including one firefighter, and 22 people were injured after a fire in a building housing a quarantine hotel in Changhua City last night, June 30. A fire broke out on the second floor of the 15-storey Qiaoyou Building at around 7:45 pm. Twenty-nine people under mandatory quarantine, and two employees were in the hotel on the 7th to 9th floors when the fire broke out. Changhua County Fire Department received the first reports of the fire at

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Pilots under pressure: keeping your job is a challenge for locals and foreigners alike

pilots wearing ppe on long haul flights
Aviation 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments ,

The Novotel hotel at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport will no longer provide accommodation to foreign pilots after an outbreak of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, Friday, April 30. Health and Welfare Minister and Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) director Chen Shih-chung said that the most likely source for the infection was a foreign pilot, and that foreign pilots have “divergent” behaviors, being less likely to follow instructions for epidemic prevention. Four of 10 CAL pilots who tested

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Man spends 81 days in hospital with no symptoms of COVID-19

central epidemic command center Taiwan
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , , ,

A Taiwanese businessman who was put into a negative pressure isolation ward in January ,after breaching quarantine on his return from Wuhan, China, then testing positive for COVID-19, was finally released today, Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) confirmed. The man, who is not identified in media reports, but described as in his fifties, returned to Taiwan from Wuhan in January. However, instead of self-quarantining at home as required by anti-epidemic regulations, he went out to nightclubs in Kaohsiung City.

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Letter from Italy: Life under lock-down

map of quarantined areas of Italy
International 
Joshua Rasia 0 Comment , , ,

After living in China and Thailand, Joseph Rasia is in Italy, and plans to come to Taiwan later this year. LIFE IN THE RED, LOCK-DOWN AREA OF ITALY The ambient light and the clock ticking faster than before awake me. It’s 1:00 am and the TV screen shows the last decree from the Prime Minister: Lombardy is a red zone, and nobody without special permission, which could only be an emergency situation or working reasons can move to different areas.

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