Individuals who contract COVID-19 can now get electronic home isolation notices retroactively reissued using a new feature on Taiwan’s Digital COVID-19 Certificate website, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday.
Home isolation notices, which provide evidence that an infected individual has been ordered to isolate at home, are required in some instances to secure sick pay or time off work.
The CECC said that many COVID-19 cases had previously been unable to claim such benefits when initially diagnosed because of a significant lag in the issuance of electronic isolation notices.
To remedy this, the CECC said that individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 from May 1 to 26 who have not yet received their electronic isolation notice can apply to have it reissued via Taiwan’s Digital COVID-19 Certificate website.
The new feature is also available to individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 on or after May 27 who do not receive their electronic isolation notices within three days, according to the CECC.
Since May 1, about 45 percent of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported that they had not yet received their isolation notices, Parng I-ming (???), director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Information Management, said at a press conference announcing the new feature Monday.
A new function allowing close contacts of COVID-19 cases to have their isolation notices reissued is expected to be available by June 19, Minister without Portfolio Audrey Tang (??), who worked with the CECC to develop the system, said at the same event.
As of 10 a.m. Monday, more than 7,000 people have applied to have isolation notices reissued using the new feature, while around 500,000 people are eligible to apply, according to the CECC.
Under current rules, COVID-19-infected individuals with mild or no symptoms in Taiwan are required to undergo seven days of designated location (home) isolation.
Meanwhile, those who have not received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and live in the same residence as someone who tests positive for the disease need to isolate for three days.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel