Taiwan on Monday reported six new cases of COVID-19, including four domestic infections and two imported cases, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
The new domestic cases were all reported in New Taipei, the CECC said.
The source of infection in two of the cases has been identified, while the other two are still being investigated, it said.
At a CECC press briefing, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) said the CECC will convene on Wednesday to decide whether to lift the ban on visits to residents at long-term care facilities in Taipei and New Taipei.
The CECC introduced the measure nationwide in mid-May, following a surge in domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, to prevent the further spread of the virus.
However, visits were allowed in most of the country on Aug. 12 except for the two cities, which the CECC considered to be at a higher risk of COVID-19 at that time, said Chen, who also heads the CECC.
Outside Taipei and New Taipei, people who wish to visit long-term care facilities are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test conducted no more than 72 hours prior to their visit.
Taiwan also recorded two imported cases on Monday, involving a Russian student in her 20s who arrived in Taiwan on Aug. 11 and a Lithuanian national in his 40s who arrived on the island for work on Aug. 13, the CECC said.
Both presented a valid negative COVID-19 test result, the CECC said.
The new cases bring the total in the country to 15,932, of which 14,342 are domestic infections reported since May 15, when the country first recorded more than 100 COVID-19 cases in a single day.
As Taiwan has not recorded a COVID-19 death for two consecutive days, the death toll from the disease remains 828, including 816 reported since May 15.
As of Monday, 777,171 people, or 3.3 percent of the population, in Taiwan had obtained the two vaccine shots needed to be fully vaccinated, while 9.29 million people, or 39.5 percent, had received their first jab, CECC data showed.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel