Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is considering dialing down current disease prevention measures. Taiwan has not seen any domestic infections of COVID-19 for 15 straight days. Taiwan’s last confirmed domestic case of COVID-19 was on April 12. However, since then, there has also been a cluster infection on a navy ship, which produced 31 cases. The navy ship was dispatched when the cluster infection occurred, so officials say those cases are imported.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung made a report to the legislature on Monday regarding Taiwan’s response moving forward. Chen said that both lockdowns and partial lifting of prevention measures are in the realm of possibility. He said decisions on adjusting measures would be based on the domestic situation and scientific evidence.
Chen said current scientific research on COVID-19 antibodies is unclear. Whether or not antibodies grant immunity at all is still undergoing study. He also said that a future vaccine is vital to fighting the disease.
The CDC outlined three stages of preventing community spread in Taiwan. The first stage is a transitional period where community infections with unclear sources occur. This would lead to inspections and controls in public spaces but most restrictions would be advisories. The second stage entails implementing tighter restrictions, while the third stage means enacting city-wide lockdowns. Taiwan is currently between the first and second stages.