The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Toronto, Canada SARS-free and removed the city from its list of affected areas, adding that it would declare Taiwan free of SARS this week "if no unexpected events occur."
Taiwan reported no new cases of SARS for the 17th consecutive day yesterday, bringing it another step closer to the 20-day point that will make it officially SARS-free in the eyes of the WHO.
"If no unexpected events occur, the last two areas in the world -- Toronto and Taiwan -- to have experienced local transmission of SARS will be declared later this week to have broken the chain of person-to-person transmission," the WHO said in a statement posted on its Web site.
"This achievement will mean that the SARS coronavirus is no longer thought to be circulating in the human population," the WHO said.
Government health officials expect the nation to be delisted by the WHO on Sunday, unless new infections occur.
The Center for Disease Control yesterday dropped two cases from its list of SARS after a review, reducing the number of infections to 676.
The death toll from the pneumonia-like epidemic stood steady at 84, and 34 people were still in hospital with the disease, the center said.
In related news, the number of arrivals from China is expected to increase from tomorrow, when the government will fully lift its "B category" quarantine requirement for arrivals from China, the Cabinet's SARS Prevention and Relief Committee said yesterday.
As of yesterday, 18 of the 34 SARS patients in hospital needed intensive care treatment, the committee reported, adding that 85 people who had close contact with SARS patients remain under "category A" quarantine, while 12,607 people who had returned from SARS-affected areas were under "category B" quarantine.
The Department of Health said that although Taiwan might be removed by the WHO from its list of areas with local transmissions soon, the Cabinet's committee will continue to operate for an additional 10 days.
GOOD DIPLOMACY:
The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT:
Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China.
DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯