A mass testing operation in eastern Taipei has turned up two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 from over 4,000 tests. Health authorities set up a testing station in the capital’s Xinyi District on Sunday after the area emerged as a potential hotspot for the virus.
The testing station at Yongji Elementary School was open to residents living near Hulin Street and Yongchun Market. Hulin Street is the centre of a recent cluster of infections, with 30 local residents testing positive between Thursday and Saturday. Authorities hope mass testing will help stop further spread of the virus.
Taipei City Government says that 4,395 people had taken PCR tests by 07:00 on Monday morning. It says authorities have results for 4,138 of those tests, and only two people have tested positive. That translates to a positive rate of just 0.048%.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said on Sunday that Zhongzheng District in western Taipei will be the next place to roll out mass testing. City authorities are working with local neighborhood chiefs today to find an appropriate place for a rapid testing station.