Taoyuan concerns for students taking epidemic prevention leave 桃市開學後爆校園確診 估請假學生恐多?

Number of students on COVID prevention leave is expected to rise after the authority found a few breakthrough infections.

Presenter: Taoyuan City has also tightened its disease prevention and control measures after multiple breakthrough infections were reported. Over 1,000 people have been screened in two days, including the students of a local vocational school. The Central Epidemic Command Center sent out 1.1 million text messages to warn people who might have visited the same locations as the infected pilots and their family members.

Three EVA Air pilots had breakthrough infections and one pilot gave it to his son. His son goes to the Affiliated Tao-Yuan Agricultural and Industrial Senior High School of National Taipei University of Technology and all classes at the school will be suspended for 14 days. All other schools within Taoyuan City will operate as usual. However, Taoyuan authorities do expect some local students and parents asking for epidemic prevention leave in light of possible further infections. After some calculation, the Ministry of Education said less than one-thousandth of the students asked for leaves since school started last week on September 1, which is very little in comparison to the other five special municipalities in Taiwan.

Lin Ming-yu, Director, Dept. of Education, Taoyuan:”According to my understanding, very few students in Taoyuan are asking for epidemic prevention leaves. Our numbers are way below Taipei City. Close to five out of every one thousand students asked for epidemic prevention leaves in Taipei City.”

In the Zhongli District of Taoyuan, more than 100 residents lined up before 9am for PCR tests at the testing station set up in the Zhongzheng Park. Some chose to go to the hospital for tests. The central government has already sent 1.1 million text messages to warn people who might have come into contact with or visited the same locations as the COVID-19-infected EVA Air pilots and their family members. The government also encouraged them to take PCR tests to be safe. During the weekend, 1,076 residents showed up at hospitals and stations. The residents who got the message showed their worries.

Taoyuan residents:”(You came here for the test after receiving the text message). Yes. (Were you nervous when you saw the text?) Of course, and it is annoying. My company told me to stop going into the office. I can't go to work, we have to stay home for a week.”

Senior high school student:”My throat hurts so I told my mom that I should come for a test. (Can you return to school after you get your test?) I don't think so. I think I have to wait for the results to come out, which takes two days.”

Parent of a senior high school student:”These mass texts create some kind of anxiety, you know? I saw quite a few people this morning lining up to take the PCR tests even though they are not exhibiting any symptoms.”

In response to the recent EVA Air pilot cases, Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan said the city will tighten its disease prevention and control by implementing three new measures, including gathering all who have come in contact with the COVID-positive cases at a single location, PCR-testing all airline staff and school staff and students, and sending out mass texts to the community to share COVID footprints. Cheng said Taoyuan residents need not worry too much about COVID footprints overlaps since not all overlaps are considered as close contacts. The mass text messages are just friendly reminders for precaution and self-monitor. The government will provide free tests to residents with suspicious symptoms. 

長榮航空爆發3名機師突破性染疫案，一名機師兒子確診，所屬北科附工全校停課14天，桃園市境內其他學校正常上課，外界預期桃園學生請防疫假人數會較高，教育局表示，人數持續統計中。但提到上星期開學三天，請防疫假學生低於千分之一，在六都裡算少的。

桃市教育局長 林明裕：「根據我了解(上週)請防疫需求假的人數，桃園在六都裡面算是非常非常少，遠低於台北市，他們將近百分之0.5，也就是千分之五。」

一早9點不到，中壢中正公園篩檢站就排了100多位等待PCR採檢的民眾，也有人是到醫院採檢。日前中央發送110萬細胞簡訊，適逢假日，桃園兩天共採檢1076人，沒有大爆量，但部份接到簡訊民眾還是很擔心。

民眾1：「(你們是收到簡訊才來的) 對對對對，(時收到有沒有覺得緊張一下？)。當然呀，製造我們很多困擾，公司就馬上叫我們停班呀，不能上班呀，他叫我們休一個星期。」

高中生：「那時候就喉嚨痛，回來之後跟媽媽講說來採檢，(採檢之後可以馬上回學校上課嗎？)好像不行，要等報告2天。」

高中生家長：「因為簡訊，然後因為廣泛的這樣發有沒有，大家都有點怕你知道嗎？我早上看好幾個，他也沒有症狀就來排對了。」

市長鄭文燦表示，機師突破性染疫案防疫更嚴格，採三層防護，除接觸者集中檢疫，航空公司及學校人員全部PCR檢測，還有社區足跡發細胞簡訊，他強調足跡重疊，不代表有近距離接觸，預防性簡訊通知，是希望民眾做好自我健康監測，有症狀也會安排公費採檢。