Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says that people who break the government’s quarantine rules will soon face harsher punishments.
Chen’s comments came as the number of people subject to a 14-day period of at-home quarantine surpassed 46,000. Chen said Wednesday that government has zero tolerance for quarantine rule breakers.
Two people were recently caught on camera out and about when they should have been in home quarantine. They may not take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, but the government certainly does.
These two are just examples: there have been many others across Taiwan caught flouting quarantine rules. Some have even tested positive for COVID-19 later on. To protect everyone else, the government has decided to get tough and introduce harsher punishments for rule breakers.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung says anyone caught leaving home quarantine will be sent immediately to a designated quarantine center. Those caught outside while awaiting testing for COVID-19 will also be sent to one of these centers.
Rule breakers will also be denied the financial compensation offered to those who follow quarantine rules. They will have to pay extra for food and accommodation, and they could also be fined up to NT$1 million depending on how long they were out.