20th March 2023 – (Taipei) Taiwan has lifted reporting and quarantine requirements for mild COVID-19 cases, effective Monday. These cases will now follow a “0+n” formula for their self-health monitoring period. Under the new scheme, people with mild symptoms are to avoid unnecessary trips outside and engage in up to 10 days of self-health monitoring. During this period, people can go out if they have no symptoms or if their symptoms improve, but they must wear a mask at all times when outside.
They can end their 10 days of self-health monitoring if they receive a negative result on a rapid antigen test. However, people who suffer from moderate to severe COVID symptoms are required to report their illness and immediately seek medical treatment. Severe symptoms or warning signs include “shortness of breath or trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, confusion, blue-coloured skin/lips or nail beds, inability to eat, drink or take medications, no or a significant reduction in urine within 24 hours, systolic blood pressure below 90mmHg, and over 100 heartbeats per minute when not running a fever,” according to the Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC). CECC spokesperson Phillip Lo explained that soldiers, civil servants, educators, students, and labourers who test positive for COVID but have mild symptoms will be allowed to take up to six days of sick leave without any negative impact on their work or attendance record. However, people who have moderate to severe COVID symptoms should undergo isolation and treatment.
Furthermore, soldiers will be allowed to take sick leave without incurring disciplinary measures, while civil servants and teachers will be able to take sick leave on “Day 0” of testing positive and up to five more days without any impact on their annual number of sick days or performance appraisal. Similarly, students can take sick leave on “Day 0” plus five more days, and it will not be included in their absence records. Additionally, parents can take leave to care for school-age children. Lastly, labourers can take sick leave starting on Day 0 plus five more days, and it will not impact their bonus for full attendance. The Ministry of Education (MOE) recommended that teachers and students who test positive but are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms should undergo self-health monitoring. The MOE also suggested that COVID-positive individuals should stay at home from Day 0 and up to an additional five days, unless testing negative earlier.