Hong Kong and Taiwan Go 20+ Days Without New CCP Virus

Since April 13, there have been no new confirmed local CCP virus cases in Taiwan. Hong Kong reported no new confirmed virus cases since April 19, ending on May 12 with one new case reported. The development of the epidemic in Taiwan and in Hong Kong have presented a different picture than that of other affected countries and regions in the world. With no new confirmed cases for 30 days in Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Centre (CECC) has announced that it will look into allowing anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 spectators to watch the Chinese Professional Baseball League games (CPBL). The commander of CECC, Chen Shizhong said, “For the first time the CPBL opened its game to spectators, several of us went there to participate in such a festive event. As a great job had been done in maintaining order, we could discuss if the number of attendees should be relaxed to 2,000. It is really healthy for people to be dancing out there, and it is really a positive thing for society.” CECC Expert Zhang Shangchun expressed that if no new cases have been reported within two quarantine periods, i.e. within 28 days, then from a public health standpoint, the Taiwanese community is quite safe. There are currently 440 confirmed cases and 7 deaths reported in Taiwan. Chen Shizhong warned that wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing are the most basic lines of defense, and these regulations will not be easily abandoned unless considerable scientific breakthroughs have been made. In Hong Kong, as of May 13, there were a total of 1,048 confirmed cases and 4 deaths reported. Three new cases recently reported were all imported—two of which were patients returning to Hong Kong from Pakistan and one from the U.K.