A mass inspection of quarantine hotels is underway, after the discovery of a cluster infection at the Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. Local governments plan to check the safety standards at each and every one of their quarantine hotels. In Taoyuan, the epicenter of the COVID cluster, the mayor has shut down all the city’s community centers in hopes of containing viral spread.

In the wake of several staff testing positive for COVID, the Novotel airport hotel is shut tight. A nationwide inspection of quarantine hotels is now underway, ordered by the CECC. In Taoyuan, the mayor has ordered tighter controls on foreign pilots, who are at higher risk for infection.

Cheng Wen-tsan
Taoyuan mayor
Foreign flight crew use designated passages and quarantine transport to reach their quarantine hotels. They’re considered as being in transit, and they don’t need to go through immigration. They must stay in their rooms and can’t go out for meals. We cannot afford any oversights here. At an appropriate time, I will inspect the relevant arrangements and pandemic countermeasures.

Three quarantine hotels in Taoyuan have been set aside for use by airline crew. For fear of the airport cluster spreading into the city, the local government has announced the closure of all community activity centers. At community care stations, venue rentals and activities will be suspended. Normal operations will resume on May 17.

Cheng Wen-tsan
Taoyuan mayor
Cultural and recreational centers and other places where older adults tend to gather will not be allowed to offer karaoke events or group meals. That will also be the case at indigenous cultural and health stations.

Nearby New Taipei has also ramped up its public health protocols. So far the municipality has already inspected 1,079 rooms across its 11 quarantine hotels. Inspections are also underway in Taipei.

Huang Tsun-cheng
Taipei City Hospital
By April 30, we had already issued improvement guidance to 104 hotels. In the second phase, we are giving them three days to correct any oversights.

Voice of Huang Nuan
Quarantine hotel operator
Our employees get their temperature taken when coming to work and when leaving. They have to conduct self-health management. On top of that, our company offers our employees face masks and disinfectant. They also get vitamin supplements, with a reminder to keep a balanced diet.

According to January data, Taiwan has a total of 26,000 quarantine hotel rooms Local officials are now inspecting them one by one, to tighten loose screws and ward off another hotel outbreak.