Filipino Migrant Worker Who Broke Quarantine for 8 Seconds Receives $3,540 Fine in Taiwan

December 8, 2020

A Filipino migrant worker is facing a hefty fine for breaking Taiwan’s strict COVID-19 quarantine rule for eight seconds.

What happened: The man, whose name was not revealed, was quarantined in a hotel on Nov. 13, according to the Huffington Post.

He accidentally broke the strict COVID-19 rule when he left his room to leave something with his friend, who was also quarantined a few doors down in the same hotel.
He was outside of his room for eight seconds when the surveillance camera caught him.
Hotel staff immediately alerted health authorities, and the man faced a hefty fine of 100,000 New Taiwan dollars ($3,540).
Officials asked the staff to monitor travelers entering the country as they faced a new spike of 24 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Nov. 30, Taiwan News reported.

Strict rules: People under quarantine in Taiwan are not allowed to leave their rooms for any reason, CNN reported.

Those who violate the quarantine rules are subjected to face fines of up to 1 million New Taiwan dollars ($35,000), the Centers for Disease Control under the Ministry of Health and Welfare said in March.
In addition, those who are placed in quarantine must finish their 14-day period.
The Taiwanese government has also placed a mandatory face mask rule when going outside.
Failing to follow the protocols may result in a fine between 3,000 New Taiwan dollars ($106) and 15,000 New Taiwan dollars ($531).
The strict health guidelines placed in the country helped it suppress the spread of the virus, which only infected 718 out of its 23 million people since the start of the pandemic and killed seven people, according to Worldometers.

Featured Image via Lisanto 李奕良

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