Taiwan has decided to cut the self-isolation period for people who test positive for COVID-19 starting Nov. 14 but has yet to decide if people who have COVID-19 will be able to vote in the Nov. 26 local elections, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
People with COVID-19 in Taiwan will only have to isolate for five days instead of the current seven and the self-health management protocol will no longer be required if they test negative after the five-day period, said CECC head Victor Wang (王必勝) on Wednesday.
The isolation period was reduced to five full days under the CECC’s new “5+n” COVID-19 policy because people who have the disease will no longer be infectious to others after five days, whether or not they test positive or negative at the end of the period, Wang said.
Those who do test positive for COVID-19 at the end of the five-day period, however, will still have to observe the self-health management protocols for a maximum of seven days, Wang said.
The protocols mainly involve wearing a mask whenever one goes out and avoiding crowding places.
The decision was reached Wednesday during a meeting of the CECC’s specialist panel, Wang said.
Asked whether people under COVID-19 isolation will be allowed to go out to cast votes during the Nov. 26 local elections, Wang said the CECC will continue to communicate with the Central Election Commission on the matter.
The CECC and election commission have so far rejected appeals to allow people to vote during the self-isolation period, though both agencies said the period could be shortened before Nov. 26, which would allow more people to vote.
Though that period will be shortened after Nov. 14, people diagnosed with COVID-19 in the five days leading up to Nov. 26 could still be deprived of their right to vote.
In the five-day period from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, a total of 154,159 people were diagnosed with COVID-19.
Case numbers have fallen in recent weeks and may be lower by election time, and roughly 20-25 percent of the cases involve people under the age of 20 who are not eligible to vote, but tens of thousands could still be unable to vote unless further steps are taken.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel