A citizen has been fined NT$1 million after violating coronavirus home quarantine regulations, the biggest-ever fine so far since the outbreak. The violator went missing after returning from Xiamen. It was later found out that he stayed in a daily rental apartment and traveled freely in Taipei city and New Taipei City. The authorities admit it is challenging to investigate the tenants of short term rentals and have handed out cash rewards for tips.


Lin Tung-jing arrived back in Taiwan from Xiamen on the 25th of last month. Under current regulations, he was supposed to quarantine himself at home for 14 days. However, he stopped answering his phone before the 228 long weekend and spent his time wandering around Taipei and New Taipei. Health authorities wasted a lot of time and manpower trying to track him down. The Hsinchu County Government says Lin behaved malevolently and has fined him NT$1 million, the highest disease-related fine in Taiwan's history.

He chose to ignore our regulations during his home quarantine period. This was significantly malevolent behavior on his part and we therefore decided to issue a fine of NT$1 million.

There are now concerns about daily rental suites being a prevention loophole because Lin was able to rent one such suite in Taipei during the time he made himself unreachable. Taipei City Information and Tourism Commissioner Liu Yi-ting admits traveler registration is not required for daily rentals and further says current laws prevent the Department of Civil Affairs from publishing the address of the suite Lin rented. Liu also says it's next to impossible to track down the owner of the suite and the city can only step up inspections and rely on tips from the public.

Any violations are subject to fines of up to NT$800,000 under the Act for the Development of Tourism. In addition, travelers that rent daily suites that are found to be in violation of prevention or quarantine regulations as stipulated in the Communicable Disease Control Act may be prosecuted and fined up to NT$1 million.

The New Taipei City Government, meanwhile, plans to increase cash rewards for tips about tourism law violations to NT$150,000.



新竹縣居家檢疫者林東京，2月25日從廈門回台，依規定須居家檢疫14天到3月10日，不過在228連假前夕失聯，還到台北和新北趴趴走。因林東京不配合檢疫，被協尋過程浪費不少人力，新竹縣政府認定其行為惡劣，依照「嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例」，處最高罰鍰100萬，創下國內防疫以來最高的罰金。

新竹縣衛生局長 殷東成表示：「居家檢疫的期間，他不配合我們的一些規定，這種行為我們也認定是一個，重大的一個惡劣的行為，所以我們決定，從重處分一百萬元。」

由於林東京在失聯期間，曾到台北承租日租套房，外界擔憂日租套房成了防疫破口，台北市觀傳局長劉奕霆坦言，日租套房無旅客登記，目前受限於傳染病防治法，民政局無法公布居家檢疫者租房地址，租屋業者難尋，只能擴大稽查跟仰賴民眾檢舉。

新北市觀旅局觀光管理科科長 陳冠宇表示：「只要查到有違法營業的事實，將依發展觀光條例，最重處到八十萬元的罰鍰，另外針對投宿日租套房的旅客，假如我們有查到，違反傳染病防治法相關防疫，或是隔離的規定，那我們不排除，會依據紓困防疫條例移送，那最重會處到一百萬元。」

新北市府表示，近期將訂定檢舉獎勵辦法，民眾只要檢舉一般觀光旅館業或民宿違反發展觀光條例，每案可得裁罰獎金15萬，希望納入民間力量，杜絕非法日租套房成為防疫漏洞。