During Quarantine in Taiwan, Stepped Out to Pour Water for Ramen and Faced 'Hot Taste'... Fined 4 Million Won Bombardment

CCTV footage capturing a migrant worker leaving the quarantine area for 8 seconds at a hotel in Taiwan. Photo by Taiwan EBC News.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] In Taiwan, which enforces a zero-tolerance policy regarding COVID-19 prevention, foreign workers who briefly violated quarantine rules while in isolation have been fined approximately 4 million KRW.

On the 7th, Apple Daily and others reported, "The Kaohsiung Health Bureau in southern Taiwan recently imposed fines of 100,000 TWD (about 3.84 million KRW) each on two Filipino migrant workers who stayed in the hallway for a few seconds during hotel quarantine."

One of the two was caught stepping out into the hallway while quarantining at a designated hotel to pour hot water into instant noodles.

The other, unable to bear the confinement, stepped outside the door to visit the neighboring room and was immediately caught by a staff member. The staff promptly reported the foreign worker, who quickly returned to their room, to the Health Bureau. Upon reviewing CCTV footage, the Health Bureau confirmed that the individual had also stepped out of their room for about 8 seconds on the 19th of last month.

The Health Bureau stated, "Although the violation involved only stepping a few steps outside the hotel quarantine room, strict sanctions are unavoidable to prevent recurrence."

Apple Daily reported that these measures by Taiwanese authorities are also linked to the severe COVID-19 situations in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Currently, Taiwan requires workers arriving from Southeast Asia to complete quarantine at government-designated centralized facilities before employers can pick them up. Additionally, Indonesian migrant workers have been barred from entry for two weeks starting from the 4th.

Number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan until the 6th. Photo by Taiwan Centers for Disease Control capture.

Meanwhile, Taiwan, known as a model country for disease prevention, had a cumulative total of 693 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of the 6th.

Since the 1st, Taiwan has imposed a fine of 15,000 TWD (about 580,000 KRW) for not wearing masks in eight major sectors, including medical institutions, nursing facilities, and public transportation. This fine is about six times higher than the domestic fine of 100,000 KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.