On November 18, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that it would launch the Fall-Winter COVID-19 Prevention Program on December 1 to enhance border quarantine control and to strengthen community prevention and medical response measures. The CECC urges the public and medical institutions to follow these measures.
Program details are listed below.
A. Border quarantine: all travelers coming to Taiwan and transit passengers are required to provide a certificate of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued within three days prior to boarding the flight to Taiwan.
Starting from December 1, 2020, until February 28, 2021 (local time at the place of departure), travelers arriving at airports in Taiwan or transit passengers at airports in Taiwan, regardless of nationality (Taiwanese nationals or foreign nationals) or travel purpose (studies, work, diplomatic or official business, or others), are all required to present a certificate of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result issued within three days (working days) of boarding before they are allowed to board their flight to Taiwan. After travelers arrive in Taiwan, if following investigations find that travelers have provided a false or an incorrect test result or they refuse, evade or obstruct the related quarantine measures, such travelers may face a fine of between NT$10,000 to NT$150,000 according to Articles 58 and 69 of the Communicable Disease Control Act. Furthermore, the criminal liability of the Offenses of Forging Instruments or Seals may be imposed on such travelers for their act of providing a false or an incorrect test result.
The CECC stated that a certificate of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result must be issued by a medical institution deemed qualified by the local government in the traveler’s place of departure. In principle, such a certificate shall be written in English, Chinese, or both Chinese and English (bilingual version). Such a certificate shall include the following information: the name on the passport of the traveler, the date of birth or passport number of the traveler, specimen collection date and test report date, the virus name, testing method, and the result. Related details and measures to comply with are listed below.
1. In situations where the traveler provides a French- or Spanish-language certificate, other than Chinese or English, of a negative COVID-19 test result, if the certificate is in the official language of the place of departure, and ground personnel of the airline is capable of assisting in the inspection of the content, the certificate may be accepted.
2. The three-day period of such a certificate means three working days and is counted from the test report date; therefore, national holidays in the country/region where the traveler takes the COVID-19 test may be excluded.
3. Such a certificate, whether it is the original copy, a photocopy, or an electronic file, can be accepted as long as the content and necessary fields on it are clear, identifiable and correct.
4. The testing method of a negative test result should be a nucleic acid test (such as PCR, RT-PCR, NAA, NAT or others); Immunoserologic testing, which detects the presence of any antigens (Ag) or antibodies (IgG or IgM) in blood, does not meet the requirements set forth in this program.
B. Community prevention: people must wear masks in eight types of public venues, and violators who refuse to comply after being advised could be penalized according to laws.
From December 1, people must wear masks in the following eight types of public venues: healthcare facilities, public transportation, places of consumption, learning places, sports and exhibition venues, entertainment venues, religious and worship places, offices and business venues. Members of the public who do not wear a face mask as required and refuse to wear a mask after being advised to do so will be fined not less than NT$3,000 and no more than NT$15,000 according to Subparagraph 6, Paragraph 1, Article 37 of the Communicable Disease Control Act by the local government. If people need to dine at the above-mentioned public venues, as long as social distancing is maintained or partitions are installed inside those locations, people can take off their masks temporarily while eating.
In outdoor venues where large crowds gather or in public large-scale outdoor events, proprietors or management units of such venues are advised to manage and control crowds based on the total number of people at these venues.
C. Medical response: strengthen case reporting and specimen collection procedures, and formulate incentive indicators.
The CECC pointed out that it considered strengthening case reporting and specimen collection procedures to be an important prevention strategy under the Fall-Winter COVID-19 Prevention Program and it has made four key measures. The four key measures are as follow: 1. healthcare facilities execute their duty of reporting cases of statutory notifiable disease; 2. draw up an indicator of incentives for case reporting and specimen collection, that is, strengthening screening for patients with pneumonia at the outpatient department and emergency department of hospitals in communities; 3. draw up the incentive indicator of strengthening screening for hospitalized patients; 4 draw up the incentive indicator of strengthening health monitoring for healthcare personnel.
中央流行疫情指揮中心今(18)日表示，時序進入秋冬，全球COVID-19疫情持續上升，多國單日確診人數屢創新高，我國境外移入個案亦有增加趨勢。為降低國內社區傳播風險，及避免造成醫療體系負擔，今(2020)年12月1日將啟動「秋冬防疫專案」，強化「邊境檢疫」、「社區防疫」及「醫療應變」措施，請民眾及醫療院所配合落實。
一、邊境檢疫：所有入境及轉機旅客登機前須附3日內COVID-19核酸檢驗陰性報告
指揮中心指出，國際疫情持續嚴峻，預期今年底及明年初入境旅客數將增加，為加強防疫安全，自12月1日至明(2021)年2月28日(啟程地時間)，入境我國機場或經我國機場轉機的旅客，不論身分(本國籍與外國籍人士等)或來臺目的(求學、工作、外交公務等)，均應檢附「表訂登機時間前3日(工作日)內COVID-19核酸檢驗陰性報告」，始可登機來臺，並將由交通部督導各航空公司確實把關；若旅客抵臺後發現檢驗報告不實，或拒絕、規避、妨礙相關檢疫措施，得依傳染病防治法第58條及69條規定，處新臺幣1萬至15萬元罰鍰。檢驗報告不實部分，亦將追究偽造文書印文罪之刑責。
指揮中心表示，「COVID-19核酸檢驗陰性報告」需由啟程地政府機關許可設立之醫療院所開具，原則為英文、中文或中英對照版本。報告內容需備有「登機者之護照姓名」、「出生年月日(或護照號碼)」、「採檢日及報告日」、「疾病名稱」、「檢驗方法」及「判讀結果」等項目。相關配套措施及應配合事項如下：
- 法文及西班牙文等非中文或英文版本文件，若屬「啟程地官方語言」，且航空公司啟程地之地勤人員能確認報告內容，可予同意受理。
- 表訂登機前「3日內」檢驗報告之日期，以「報告日」及「工作日」計算，故可排除當地政府之國定假日。
- 檢驗報告可為紙本(正本/影本)或電子報告書形式，但內容應清晰可辨識，且經審視需備項目完整無誤。
- 檢驗方法需採用分子生物學核酸檢測(例如：PCR、RT-PCR、NAA、NAT等)；至於血清免疫學(Immunoserology)檢驗抗原(Ag)或抗體(IgG或IgM)，不符合本措施規範。
二、社區防疫：出入八大類場所應佩戴口罩，經勸導不聽者依法開罰
指揮中心表示，考量秋冬時期除了COVID-19疫情外，也有多種呼吸道傳染病盛行，都會加重醫療體系的負荷與調度壓力，為了提高民眾於高感染傳播風險場所佩戴口罩的遵循度，以降低呼吸道傳染病的感染與傳播，及避免過度耗用醫療資源，自12月1日起，強制要求民眾進入「醫療照護、大眾運輸、生活消費、教育學習、觀展觀賽、休閒娛樂、宗教祭祀、洽公」等八大類場所(場所舉例如附表)應佩戴口罩。未依規定佩戴口罩，經勸導不聽者，將依違反傳染病防治法第37條第1項第6款規定，由地方政府裁罰新臺幣3千元以上1萬5千元以下罰鍰。
指揮中心進一步說明，上述場所因具有不易保持社交距離，或會近距離接觸不特定對象(不認識的人)的特性，有較高的感染與傳播風險，因此要求進入該類場所活動的民眾佩戴口罩，除了有助於防範COVID-19外，對於其他各類經由飛沫、空氣傳播之疾病也能發揮防護效果。如果在上述場所內有飲食的需求，在與不特定對象保持社交距離或有適當阻隔設備的前提下，可在飲食期間暫時取下口罩。
至於人潮聚集的戶外場所(如戶外風景區、遊樂園、夜市、傳統市場等)，或是於戶外進行的公眾集會活動(如遊行、遶境、跨年晚會等)，建議業者或場所管理單位採用「人數總量管制」方式進行管控，使民眾在場所或活動中能持續、有效地保持社交距離，並請民眾如有發燒或呼吸道症狀等身體不適時，應避免前往上述場所，以及在不能保持社交距離時自主戴上口罩。也提醒公眾集會活動主辦單位應參考「COVID-19(武漢肺炎)因應指引：公眾集會」，評估風險及制定相關防疫應變計畫，並盡可能落實實聯制及佩戴口罩。
三、 醫療應變：加強通報採檢，訂定獎勵指標
指揮中心表示，為防範國內醫療體系於秋冬季面臨武漢肺炎及流感疫情之雙重負擔，秋冬專案中已將加強通報採檢列為重要防疫策略，並研擬四大措施，包括醫療院所落實法定傳染病通報義務；訂定「加強門診與急診社區感染肺炎病人篩檢」、「加強住院病人篩檢」及「強化醫療照護人員健康監測」等獎勵通報採檢指標；透過健保系統提醒加強通報採檢；修訂無COVID-19相關症狀居家隔離/檢疫者之採檢及相關處理流程。臨床醫師應提高警覺加強通報採檢，強化社區監測疑似個案通報或轉介；同時並請地方政府持續督導所轄醫療院所，鞏固醫療院所防疫陣線。
指揮中心指出，國際疫情持續嚴峻，臺灣防疫得以有效控制，有賴邊境檢疫人員、醫療院所、醫療照護人員持續堅守崗位，以及政府、民間攜手合作，守護國人健康；請民眾持續配合政府各項防疫措施，共同確保這得來不易的防疫成果。