TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei City on Friday (Aug. 13) reported zero COVID-19 cases for the first time in 96 days.

New Taipei was at the heart of a massive surge in local COVID cases in mid-May, but a soft lockdown launched on May 15 brought cases down substantially, with infections in the single digits over the past week. On Friday, Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) did not announce any new COVID cases in the city for the first time since May 9.

At the peak of the outbreak, New Taipei was reporting over 300 cases per day. Since July, the situation has gradually been brought under control, but there are still sporadic cases of community infections. Recently, there were clusters tied to a small hospital in Banqiao District, a family gathering in Xinzhuang District, and a building in Yonghe District, indicating there are still undetected chains of transmission.

In addition, there has not been an increase in the number of contacts of cases that tested positive while undergoing isolation in the city. According to the New Taipei City Department of Health, on Thursday (Aug. 12), there was only one confirmed case, which was located in Sanchong District.

The individual tested positive for COVID while undergoing quarantine. The individual is believed to have contracted the virus after interacting with a friend who also tested positive.

New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said during a press conference on Thursday that this decrease in new cases shows the situation is "gradually moving in a good direction." However, Hou emphasized this does not necessarily mean, looking ahead, that there will be zero cases each day.

Hou warned the number of confirmed cases could continue to fluctuate significantly. He pointed out that the pandemic situation can change rapidly and said the public must continue to exercise caution.