Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Taiwan Fined a Man $3,500 for Breaking COVID-19 Quarantine for Eight Seconds

Taiwan News
by Eben Diskin Dec 7, 2020

If you think that mandatory quarantines are not enforced, think again. In Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, one man was quarantined in a hotel when he stepped out of his room into the hallway for eight seconds and was caught on camera by CCTV hotel staff. The staff immediately called the Department of Health to report him, and he was fined $3,500.

The man, a migrant worker from the Philippines, was supposed to be quarantined in his hotel room without leaving, and Taiwan does not bend the rules even one tiny bit when it comes to COVID-19.

The country has received praise for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, without enacting strict lockdowns like other nations. Taiwan’s response was defined by speed, with authorities starting to screen passengers on direct flights from Wuhan as early as December 31, 2019. The government also invested in mass testing and contact tracing.

Quarantining for incoming visitors, however, is part of Taiwan’s method for controlling the spread of the virus, and they clearly aren’t messing around. In Kaohsiung City alone there are 56 designated quarantine hotels and 3,000 rooms set aside for quarantining individuals.

Discover Matador