President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) held a banquet on Tuesday to recognize those who assisted with COVID-19 pandemic response measures throughout the past three years. Over one thousand medical personnel and administrative staff were in attendance.
She began the banquet by leading a moment of silence to pay tribute to the 19,000 Taiwanese citizens that lost their lives to the virus. She says pandemic response measures are complex and require a collective effort, and everyone contributed towards ensuring the policies were effective.
She thanked the former Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and the former Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) for their leadership. Tsai also recognized the medical personnel, testing facilitators, local authorities, and police officers for their selfless contribution towards protecting Taiwanese people.
After awarding trophies to 108 individuals who have made exemplary contributions during the pandemic, Tsai says Taiwan is moving forward and she welcomes international tourists to return to Taiwan.