Taiwan’s CECC considers partial lifting of Level 3 alert restrictions from July 12

台灣中央疫情使揮中心考慮7月12日起解除部分3級緊戒限制

Whether to adjust measures contingent on 3 factors: Chen

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said on Sunday (July 4) that the center will consider three factors when it makes a decision on whether to partially lift restrictions imposed during the Level 3 COVID-19 alert, which is provisionally set to end on July 12, CNA reported.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 have recently occurred at Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co. and three agricultural produce and poultry wholesale markets in Taipei, but the number of confirmed cases on Sunday was still lower than 100.

Chen assessed that the overall epidemic situation in the nation has been going in the right direction as case numbers are coming down except at the three wholesales markets.

Since the Level 3 alert has already been extended three times to July 12, Taiwan residents have been eager to know whether there will be some kinds of reprieve from the restrictions after July 12.

The primary goal now is to bring the transmission in the three wholesale market clusters under control, the CECC head said. He also revealed that three standards will be used to judge whether the alert level should be adjusted — the epidemic situation, whether people are vigilant about disease prevention, and whether they can respond quickly to changing situations.

Chen said the CECC is working on related guidance for easing the restrictions and that the better people abide by the guidance, the more likely the reopening will become a reality.

Media have reported that the CECC leans towards allowing indoor dining soon but at a 50-percent or lower capacity.

However, if there is any lifting of restrictions in the near future, it will be applied equally to the whole country, according to Chen.

In addition, the CECC confirmed that measures related to issuing certificates for people who have recovered from COVID-19, people who have tested negative, and people who have been vaccinated for the disease, will be announced in the coming week, per CNA.