The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) plans to downgrade the classification of COVID-19 and disband the center by early May. That came from Health Minister Victor Wang (王必勝) on Tuesday.
COVID-19 is currently ranked as a Category 5 communicable disease. Lowering its ranking to Category 4 would also remove the necessity for the CECC’s services.
Wang says Taiwan established the CECC almost 1,200 days ago to handle the onslaught of the pandemic. He says there will be a press meeting on Thursday regarding the center’s disbandment so reporters can ask further questions and the ministry can express gratitude for the center’s services.
Taiwan recorded its first imported case of COVID-19 on January 21, 2020. Since then, the country has experienced three major waves of local cases, resulting in over 10 million cases and 10,000 deaths.