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CECC issues text alerts to people in Wanhua following COVID cluster

ROC Central News Agency

05/13/2021 05:30 PM

Taipei, May 13 (CNA) The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Thursday issued an alert to people who have been near an area in Taipei's Wanhua District over the past month in the wake of a domestic COVID-19 cluster outbreak linked to the district's hostess teahouses.

According to the CECC, some 600,000 people whose cellphone data showed they had been in an area west of Kangding Road, north of Section 3, Heping West Road, east of Wuzhou Street and south of Guilin Road from April 15 to May 12 were expected to receive the alert on their cellphones.

The text message warned the recipients to pay close attention to their health and go to nearby COVID-19 screening stations should they develop related symptoms.

The measure was launched after a cluster infection at two of the district's hostess teahouses was first reported the previous day.

So far, there are seven confirmed cases in the cluster, including five hostesses at five different teahouses, one customer and one who regularly visits the area, according to the CECC.

Meanwhile, the Taipei City government said it has ordered all 172 hostess teahouses in Wanhua to shut for three days for disinfection and to conduct contact tracing of confirmed cases to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said in a press conference that people living and visiting the affected area of Wanhua are advised not to engage in gatherings of more than three people, either indoors or outdoors.

Those who have shown COVID-19-related symptoms, such as discomfort, fever, runny nose and sneezing, are asked to visit the Taipei City Hospital Zhongxing Branch for rapid screening, he said.

The mayor called on citizens to stay calm and to avoid visiting crowded places for the next three days to help stop the transmission of the coronavirus.

(By Chen Chieh-ling, Chen Yu-ting and Joseph Yeh)

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