Palau Reports 167 Cases in Three Days 零確診帛琉爆發疫情 3天確診達167例

Palau has gone from zero COVID-19 cases to 167 in three days and 189 total. The vast majority of cases are imported. Shin Kong Hospital says over 90 percent of the local population is fully vaccinated and they will send medical workers to Palau on the 22nd.

The Taiwan-Palau tourism bubble was incepted last April, making Palau the only country Taiwanese people could travel to. Palau has reported 167 cases of COVID-19 in the last three days.

Hung Tzu-jen, Vice Superintendent, Shin Kong Hospital: “The (Palau) Omicron virus is like our Taoyuan Airport cluster infection. It came on quickly and urgently and fiercely. Palau is being impacted by the pandemic like Guam and seeing imported cases turn into domestic cases.”

Palau has reported 189 cases so far: nine domestic and 161 imported. Nineteen of the patients have already recovered. Shin Kong Hospital will send four medical workers to Palau on the 22nd. The team will bring testing equipment and 10,000 rapid screening kits. Hospital officials say there is no risk in traveling to Palau because government controls will keep Taiwanese tourists safe.

Huang Chien-hsien, Chief Epidemiologist, Shin Kong Hospital: “(Palau) is still safe. They are segregating people who need to be in self-health management from the general public. If you go there in the travel bubble and you have on your (tourist identification bracelet), you will not have any contact with local people.”

Hsiang Chien-lun, Senior Manager, PK Travel: “There is a 30 percent cancellation fee on the tourist contract for airfare and hotel fees.”

Travel agencies selling Palau packages say some tours between now and Chinese New Year are sold out but some customers are asking for refunds. However, this won't happen as Taiwan does not categorize Palau as a "Category 3" risk country. As the travel bubble has not been cancelled, the Central Epidemic Command Center says contract law applies to cancellations and refunds.

 

去年4月，「台帛旅遊」泡泡啟動，海島旅遊勝地帛琉，成了國人唯一可出國旅遊的國家，加上標榜零確診，其實有不少台灣人出團。不過，近日傳出當地爆發新冠疫情，短短3天就增加167例。

新光醫院副院長洪子仁表示：「這次（帛琉）Omicron病毒，就如同我們桃園機場的群聚事件一樣，他是來的又快又急又猛，我想帛琉也是因為受到關島疫情的影響，才會有可能就從境外移入的病例裡面，變成本土的確診個案。」

根據帛琉官方公布，最新確診數，目前累計189例確診。9例本土，境外移入161例，19例已康復。由於當地疫情急速擴大，新光醫院週六22日，將派4名醫護人員，前往當地支援，除了攜帶檢測儀器，還有1萬劑快篩快試劑，協助圍堵疫情。並分析帛琉泡泡風險，認為台灣旅客，會接觸到人、或走訪區域，當地政府都有嚴格管控，仍在安全範圍內。

新光醫院感染科主任黃建賢認為：「（帛琉）他還是安全的，因為他把這些就是需要自主健康管理的人跟一般的民眾是完全分開的，你即使是旅遊泡泡去到那邊，戴上（入境旅客）手環之後，跟當地人不會有接觸。」

品冠旅遊協理向建倫則說：「第一個在旅遊契約上，他就有30%的取消費，航空公司的機票退票的費用，還有當地飯店的費用。」

目前經營帛琉旅遊泡泡業者，包括品冠旅遊、雄獅、鳳凰、KKday旅遊平台等，有些業者表示，到農曆年前，有些團已經完售。部份旅客想要取消行程，要求旅行社全額退費，但目前帛琉，並非第三級警告。交通部觀光局表示，台帛旅遊泡泡並未取消，除非疫情有其他發展，指揮中心宣布，恐怕只能依合約規定走。