New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi says that authorities are acting swiftly to combat a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and prevent a widespread outbreak. The new wave of cases in New Taipei City includes an outbreak in an apartment complex that has sickened six residents and an outbreak at a kindergarten that has so far seen 23 people fall ill.
Hou says that the apartment building's residents all vacated the premises last night and were isolated for COVID-19 testing. Altogether 785 people took PCR tests, and all results have come back negative. Hou says he hopes the residents may be able to return to their normal lives as early as Friday.
However, Hou says that a repairman who works at the building has tested positive for COVID-19, and authorities are still trying to trace the source of the infection. The repairman was not working on the same floor as the ill residents, so authorities are not sure if his case is connected to the others.
Because many students live in the apartment building, New Taipei City has decided to close an additional thirteen schools as a precaution. These new closures bring the number of shuttered New Taipei City schools up to 16.
Most of the schools are in the city's Banqiao District. Authorities say that once all students and teachers in home quarantine get negative PCR test results, they should be able to return to classes. While closed, the schools will undergo disinfection, and they will also monitor the health of their students.