An employee at a quarantine hotel near Taiwan’s largest airport has tested positive for COVID-19. In response, the Central Epidemic Command Center said on Thursday that it has ordered the hotel to close immediately for disinfection.
The Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport frequently hosts airline pilots and flight crews for overnight stays and mandatory quarantine. Authorities say the infected employee is a manager at the hotel, and had their infection confirmed late on Wednesday. The source of the infection is currently unknown.
Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan says there are around 422 airline staff at the hotel. Authorities will immediately take them to government quarantine facilities and quarantine hotels. He says after disinfection, the hotel will remain closed for a further two weeks.
Cheng says the drastic measures to clear and clean the hotel are necessary given the risk of cluster infection. That’s because the infected employee routinely visited all areas of the hotel, increasing the potential spread of the virus.
Command Center Director General Chou Jih-haw says authorities are carrying out tests and reviewing potential contacts.