TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu's (韓國瑜) suggestion Thursday (April 23) to have 4,000 frontline medical workers and 5,000 civil servants tested for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), many health professionals in the city have started a petition against the proposal.

During a press conference on Thursday, Han pointed out that Kaohsiung was one of the high-risk areas affected by the coronavirus cluster from the "Goodwill Fleet" and that it would be necessary to implement comprehensive virus testing on all local frontline medical workers as well as government employees. He said the Kaohsiung City Government already acquired enough funding for the medical team's testing, which would most likely be carried out with the 15-minute rapid virus test kits recently developed by the island nation.

Han's remarks quickly drew criticism from health professionals nationwide, including those in Kaohsiung. A petition initiated by the Taiwan Medical Action Alliance has also garnered more than 3,200 signatures from the city's frontline workers as of Friday morning (April 24), urging the Han administration to revoke its prevention scheme, reported Liberty Times.

Taiwanese cardiovascular surgeon Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱), who also helped oversee the petition, stressed that medical workers are already prioritized for virus testing if they feel unwell and that comprehensive testing would result in a giant medical waste. She added that the testing may also produce false-negatives, making medical workers a loophole in Taiwan's coronavirus prevention efforts.

Wu hoped that the Kaohsiung government could comply with the principles advised by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and allocate test funding to stockpiling more medical supplies. She also suggested that Han discuss his plans with the central government before announcing them to avoid sacrificing the precious time and energy of the Taiwanese medical establishment.

The CECC's advisory specialist panel convener, Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳), also commented on Han's proposal, promising that the government would continue taking care of health professionals. He said that general virus testing was not needed at the moment, as frontline workers who have felt unwell have all been placed under quarantine and have tested negative for the virus, reported CNA.

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu. (CNA photo)