Press Release of the Offshore Control Division of the Executive Yuan's SARS Epidemic Prevention, Control and Relief Committee
Today (May 13), the Offshore Control Division again conducted a live video conference linking up with the CKS International Airport and the Kaohsiung International Airport. With regard to the issues of Philippine foreign laborers' employment and entry control, the Offshore Control Division declared today that current provisions will be amended to permit the extension of employment contracts and allow foreign laborers to continue their stay in Taiwan at the expiry of their labor contracts. In another development, stricter enforcement of "Type B Home Quarantine" regulations will begin as of today. Those who violate quarantine measures, in particular by failing to report to the competent authorities, will immediately be fined by the Home Quarantine Division. This is necessary to ensure efficient implementation of SARS prevention measures.
The WHO has declared Metro Manila, the Philippine capital, an "area with recent local transmission of SARS." Since the Republic of the Philippines is a major labor export nation, and one of the major sources of foreign workers for Taiwan, the Offshore Control Division over the past few days conducted multilateral discussions with all concerned sides about several aspects of this issue, including comprehensive epidemic prevention and safety, the industry's need for the labor force, and the impact on international relations. The Offshore Control Division also asked the Council of Labor Affairs to communicate with manpower agencies to gather the opinions of manufacturers/employers on this issue. The Offshore Control Division declared that related response measures will be under further discussion, but at the present to avoid negative impact on SARS prevention efforts stemming from large-scale entry-and-exit movement which might happen because of the replacement between new and old laborers, the Executive Yuan has already drafted amendments to the current Employment Service Law so that foreign laborers can apply for an extension of their contracts in the case of severe circumstances, such as the SARS epidemic. The length of such an extension shall be determined by the order issued by the Executive Yuan. The Offshore Control Division further declared that a consensus about the necessary amendments has already been reached by the government and opposition, and that the amendment draft will be on the Legislative Yuan's agenda for this Friday. It is hoped that the bill will be passed, promulgated and put into practice speedily. All executive branches have been called on to prepare adequately for the implementation of related measures.
To gain a better understanding of whether passengers subject to "Type B Home Quarantine" measures have reported to the supervising authority, and to avoid making these measures a mere formality and being unable to be implemented by the public authority, the Offshore Control Division has already established an entry checking and tracking mechanism. According to the mechanism, the CKS and Kaohsiung international airports have to provide the list daily of the entrants and Philippine labors to be quarantined. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), in cooperation will other related departments, is required to help check and track those need be quarantined by phone or by on-the-spot visit. Yesterday (May 12), a total of nine entrants meeting criteria for home quarantine were discovered having reported themselves to the supervising authority and having been under home quarantine by on-the-spot random inspections. Another 312 quarantine subjects were randomly checked by telephone, among which 37 people could not be reached. But these cases will be pursued further today. The health authorities will directly issue a ticket to sue those who have violated quarantine regulations, and severe penalties will be imposed.
Another item on the agenda was the suggestion by the Association of Airline Representatives (AOAR) in Taiwan to treat airlines' maintenance and technical personnel and foreign airlines' staff from an "area with recent local transmission of SARS" according to the same regulations that are currently in place for airline flight crews. A resolution was passed in today's session to endorse the AOAR suggestions, and to put airlines as employers in charge of quarantine measures for all staff entering Taiwan. All airline personnel/technical staff will be required to wear surgical masks during their entire period of stay/work in Taiwan. Airlines will also be responsible for monitoring their staff's commuting between accommodation and workplace. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) will collect all relevant data, and be responsible for conducting checks of actual implementation of quarantine measures by the airlines through random visits at quarantine locations. In addition, the CAA will also stay in close touch with local health authorities to create an efficient monitoring network.
Finally, overseas Chinese from around the globe, chambers of commerce/trade associations, fellow Chinese in Hong Kong and Macao, and Taiwan businesspeople in the Mainland have all expressed their concern to the ROC government about the SARS epidemic in Taiwan through various bodies such as the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the Straits Exchange Foundation. They have also taken the initiative in donating masks, ear thermometers, quarantine suits and other related equipment. The Straits Exchange Foundation also transferred to the Offshore Control Division a donation of more than NT$ 4 million, which was collected by the Xiamen Taiwan Businesspeople Association, to support SARS prevention efforts. The Offshore Control Division expressed its heartfelt gratitude for the support it receives from Taiwanese and overseas Chinese around the world, and it will submit a proposal to the Executive Yuan to award public praise and commendation for their help.