True, but at least if they confirmed a “weak positive” through PCR immediately after a positive antigen test, we could be confident the antigen test was accurate in the first place.
Japan is not very reputable when it comes to covid and clinical testing - see what happened with that cruise ship.
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One more imported case reported today:
Guy
Four Indonesian students tested positive during quarantine. All asymptomatic.
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Know why they were tested if they were asymptomatic?
Not sure. Is there a compulsory test before end of Q?
Edit, yeah compulsory test before release from quarantine hotel.
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It seems ,as mentioned in another article, that the final ‘all clear’ PCR test they are using with nasal or throat swabs is more sensitive than the deep saliva swab . They should probably change this the other way around. Or just do another saliva swab and not bother with the more sensitive test . Continually picking up folks who already cleared the virus isn’t very useful and causes a lot of people to be quarantined or put in hospital unneccessarily.
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Regarding compulsory retesting at end of quarantine ,is that only for migrant workers, students , or for everybody that been placed in quarantine ?
Or: is there something Indonesia specific here? I was under the impression that the Philippines was the only place of origin that required arrivals to be tested (asymptomatic or not).
EDIT: No there is not. Answer appears below!
Guy
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More details on these imported cases in this report from Focus Taiwan. It answers my question about why these asymptomatic arrivals were tested:
The students were tested because Taiwan requires arriving international students to undergo testing when they complete their 14-day quarantine, Chen said.
Guy
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I guess the train is starting to roll.
Yikes…4 Indonesian students, direct contact with 104 on the bus with 94 other foreign students), 115 on the flight.
Yea but they already cleared the virus, no symptoms , negative on first PCR and probably only 'weak positive ’ on the more sensitive retest. So it causes a lot of hassle for no good reason.
If they were housed separately it also shows the large number of infections in Indonesia.
Edit - do they get tested on entry or supposed to.show negative pcr test on entry ? I recall some students were exempt on providing pcr test for entry ?
Migrant workers have to show negative test prior to entry and then do another test at the airport.
The man, who is in his 30s, tested negative for COVID-19 within three days before arriving in Taiwan on Sept. 17 and during required testing at the airport, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said at a press briefing.
It’s been rolling in Indonesia for a while. Parts of the country are teeming with the virus.
Forumosans, are you anticipating a relaxing of preventative measures or a liberalization of border controls in Taiwan? If so, don’t get your hopes up, as tighter measures may be coming starting in mid-November:
Guy
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That’s pretty bullshit. All they can do is reverse the slight relaxations in entry procedures. Domestically it’d be retarded to increase protections. No local transmission for 190 days, what are we protecting ourselves against?
I guess the CDC just likes to shake people up every once in a while. Keep everyone “vigilant”.
Maybe they see something, like the recent imported asymptomatic cases. The virus is raging out there. 2nd and 3rd waves everywhere. Yet we have no outbreaks and the economy here is one of the least affected. Increasing the border defenses makes sense. Why tempt fate if we don’t have to?
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The problem is that there is a spike in cases all over the world. We are lucky we have been spared first, second even third waves … so far.
Moreover, a couple of cases that should not be there might be a cause to worry and be extra cautious.
Finally, once again, China. All they need is to get a sick operative in. Great PR calling the greens incompetent plus if they get panic rolling that may be a way in. They already have a firm grip on the media to distort the narrative.
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What do they mean by this though? What is the next step? Ban students coming in again? Increase quarantine to 21 days? It’s a tricky thing to get right because there’s also pressure to start setting up travel bubbles and allow limited business visits.
The government appears to only expect another 5,000 degree-seeking students to enter. This article was posted two days before the article mentioning border security measures, of which this article mentions that language students will finally be considered by November.
It seems more likely that, considering the government has been providing the ability to apply for entry visas for almost every group of international people other than tourists, the new measures (which they have announced may be initiated in over a month) would be related to restrictions on what is required for various individuals to enter. Stricter testing requirements before entry seems like a far more likely outcome of further restrictions. It just seems a bit strange for the government to claim that they might stop allowing individuals to enter a month from now. If the concern was for individuals entering TW, it would seem that the government would make a more immediate policy change as they did in March when the border was closed without much prior warning.
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