Coronavirus--Taiwan developments

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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5442

And here’s a nice piece from Focus Taiwan outlining possible changes coming on June 7:

Guy

5443

Calm down. If it were serious China and the WHO would have already responded.

5444

“rules on social distancing seating arrangements in cinemas and other pubic venues will be relaxed from June 7“

OMG :scream: we’ve struck the mother lode of typos.

5445

In a radio interview, Chen said that starting June 7, restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather at cultural and leisure events will be lifted, while restaurants will no longer be required to install table dividers as long as there is sufficient space between tables.

7 June… where have I heard this one before?

OH! It’s a day after the Kaohsiung Mayoral Recall Election.

Han’s best hope is that the Covid-19 pandemic will scare large numbers of voters into thinking that it is too dangerous to turn out. That is, actively trying to suppress the vote might not work, but passively (or through underground murmurs) hoping that people are scared might work. What would really help Han is if there were a few cases of domestic transmission over the next few weeks to terrify voters. In a nutshell, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) is making Han’s recall more likely by successfully keeping Taiwan virus-free. There is a high-stakes game going on with relaxing restrictions. Every time the government announces a relaxation – allowing more fans into baseball games, encouraging tourism, relaxing social distancing on public transportation – it sends a message to Kaohsiung voters that society is safe. The safer people feel, the more likely it is that they will come out to vote. However, relaxing restrictions simultaneously makes it more likely that any person who has the virus and is out in society will infect a higher number of people. News of such a disaster would almost certainly lower turnout and might push the number of yes votes below 25%. Of course, I don’t think the government’s primary consideration is the Kaohsiung recall, but the success or failure of that recall may nonetheless depend on the success or failure of their relaxation measures.
I love the irony of Han’s fate depending on governance. Han is a populist who claimed that the DPP government was hopelessly corrupt and therefore bad at governing. Now, his best (only?) chance of survival is if the DPP government, which has been so glaringly competent for the last year and a half, suddenly morphs into the incompetent regime of Han’s rhetoric. On the other hand, if it was an ungrounded attack all along, Han is probably doomed. President Tsai’s good governance crushed his populism in the presidential election, and now even better performance from her administration this year might be the death blow to his mayorship.

Coincidence?

5446

" What would really help Han is if there were a few cases of domestic transmission over the next few weeks to terrify voters."

Now what? Import a few case from somewhere and letting them spread?

5447

Given recent investigation results, shouldn’t this be:~

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5448

Of that lot, 9 had symptoms like sniffles and coughs and such and were tested … All negative. Rest will be tested less hurriedly.

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Funny thing is, they had 3 waves of infection in one single ship. Infection started at sea. But can’t find patient zero.

I stick to my Chinese ninja viral weapon attack theory.

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At least 1 was infected in Taiwan and brought it on board the ship.

5451

Yep. But asymptomatic. They were like way far far away … And didn’t notice…not even on the way back.

Ninjas I’m telling ya.

5452

The ships medical log would indicate they very much did notice.

Anyhow, given the results of their investigations showing at least one sailor caught the Kung Flu in Taiwan and brought it onboard it seems rather disingenuous to separate the cases, as “locally acquired” and “navy crew”.

5453

Agree…until they catch the ninja.

5454

It’s interesting.
If we look at it that it was R less than 0 with all the social distancing and the masks that drove the virus to eradication across the population , it was only the close contact over a long period that allowed a cluster to develop at the tail end of Taiwan’s epidemic (navy ship). Not having groups of people meeting together indoors is very very important to reduce the spread. The 3Cs Japanese call it.

Just goes to show that you don’t need widespread testing if you maintain proper social distancing across the population (a fact we know from the stats). The other possibility is they had contractors on the boat that infected them…I don’t know.

5455

So yesterday some nice reporter asked when they would stop giving daily pressers, as Hong Kong and Korea have also stopped. Minister Chen said probably after June 1st or 7th, whenever the restrictions are lifted.

So enjoy the last few days of 2 pm entertainment.

5456

Didn’t they say they going to give it once a week?

5457

Yeah but it is not the same as a daily 2pm. I already have my work set up to finish so I can listen to the thing as it happens. Then tea. Then keep on going with my assignments.

Hope I can find inspiration for a nice Latin American / Taiwan / COVID-19 related article… Ommm… Ommmm…Ommm

5458

Do you know what day and time the weekly one will be?

Anyway guessing one or two new cases from Russia today

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Too soon for the Russia bunch.

EDIT:

Zero again.

Alert: as per the reporter, Thailand says 14 folk that went from Taiwan to Thailand have shown symptoms.

5460

Did they say anything more on that case?

5461

Just that they are looking into it as so far info comes from papers.