As the wave of Omicron appears to be stronger, hospitals in Taiwan to strengthen epidemic prevention regulations

The COVID-19 cluster uncovered at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has reached 25 cases. Among them, a few are infected with variant Omicron.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, local governments have successively announced new regulations such as the ban on visits to hospitals and long-term care institutions. 【Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network】has compiled information about new regulations implemented in major counties and cities.

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New regulations for epidemic prevention in Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan have been released. (Photo / Retrieved from Pixabay)

• Taipei City: Airports, quarantine hotels and hospitals are the three major priorities of pandemic prevention. Except for exceptional cases, major hospitals, long-term care institutions, nursing homes and mental care institutions will stop or significantly limit visits from today.

• New Taipei City: From now on, people must wear masks at all times, regardless of whether they are indoors or outdoors, regardless of whether they are taking pictures, singing, or in venues where social distancing cannot be maintained. Furthermore, individuals must take temperatures, complete contact tracing QR code scanning while entering all places, and wash hands frequently.

For visitors to hospitals

Firstly, if the patient undergoes surgery or invasive treatment, etc., the patient can be accompanied by family members, or the family members are required to sign a consent form or document based on regulations.

Secondly, visitors are allowed to enter special units such as the emergency room, intensive care unit based on the patients’ health conditions.

Thirdly, other patients going through the deterioration of health, or long-term hospitalization can only be visited after evaluation by doctors and with the consent of the medical institution

For long-term care institutions, if the residents have serious physical and mental symptoms, such as insomnia, unstable blood pressure, irritability, etc., and the institutions cannot appease the residents, only family members will be allowed to visit, or other people who are necessary to visit after the institution's assessment.

• Taoyuan City: From now on, the big events of the city government will be postponed or reduced in scale, and the tasting and eating activities will be completely suspended; all hospitals, long-term care, nursing, and mental care institutions in the city will stop visits until January 21.

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New regulations for epidemic prevention in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung were released. (Photo / Retrieved from Pixabay)

• Taichung City: Deacons of religious sites and on-site service personnel need to receive 2 doses of the vaccine for 14 days; those who have not received 2 doses of the vaccine completely need to provide a rapid antigen test report on their own expense every week. In addition, the health checkups of the elderly are assessed by each hospital, and the rest are handled in accordance with the central epidemic prevention regulations, that is, except for special or chronic wards, the visiting period is still maintained at a fixed period of one per day, and each inpatient has a maximum of 2 visitors.

• Tainan City: 1. Wear a mask at all times when going out except for eating and drinking. 2. Continue to examine the implementation of epidemic prevention regulations for quarantine sites. 3. Strengthen the regulations of wearing masks, and contact tracing QR code scanning. 4. Quarantine taxi drivers are required to wear isolation gowns and goggles. 5. Quarantine hotel staff and quarantine taxi drivers must be vaccinated with COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots. 6. People participating in folk activities must abide by the epidemic prevention regulations. 7. People who need to be hospitalized should get a negative nucleic acid test (PCR) report or rapid antigen test report within 3 days. 8. It is not recommended to toast to guests table by table.

• Kaohsiung City: Except for special or chronic wards, avoid unnecessary visits. The visiting period is fixed at once per day. Each inpatient is limited to a maximum of 2 visitors at a time; For patients who have not been fully vaccinated with 2 doses of vaccine for 14 days, a nucleic acid test (PCR) report or rapid antigen test report (include rapid test kit) should be taken at their own expense. In addition, people who go to the hospital for invasive surgery related to the respiratory tract should possess a negative PCR test report within 3 days from the surgery date.