Taiwan has reported its first case of a transit passenger testing positive for COVID-19, since the country began allowing transfer passengers through international airports on June 25. Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang says that the case will have little effect on Taiwan’s situation.
Chuang said on Monday that the passenger is a woman from the Philippines who is in her 30s. She was on board an EVA flight from Manila which landed in Taipei at 3pm on July 3. The woman then departed on an EVA flight to Hong Kong at 4:40pm. She tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Hong Kong.
Chuang says that the woman was only in transit at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for less than two hours, so it’s likely that she was infected before arriving in Taiwan.
Officials say there is very little chance that the woman infected anyone during her transit. They say that all of the passengers in the terminal were wearing masks and the ground crew was also wearing protective eyewear and gloves. Because protective measures were in place, officials say there is no need for anyone to go into home isolation in connection with this case.
As to whether the woman may have infected fellow passengers, officials say that there were no Taiwanese passengers seated in the two rows in front or behind the infected woman on either of her flights.