TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A man in his 30s from Taichung could face a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$9,100) after paying two visits to Kaohsiung while being listed as a measles contact case, reports said Saturday.
The Kaohsiung Department of Health found the man accompanied a patient on the same floor as a confirmed measles case at a hospital in Central Taiwan in late December. As a result, he had been listed as a contact, which should have prevented him from making two trips to Kaohsiung, per CNA.
The department said he could be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000. He was confirmed as a local case of measles in Taichung.
A total of 185 people had now been listed as contacts of the man, and were to monitor their own health until January 20. The man had accompanied family on a December 27-28 trip to Kaohsiung, where he attended a concert at the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts.
He visited a clinic on December 29 because of a fever and chills, but he nevertheless traveled to Kaohsiung again to look up a friend on New Year’s Eve. He started showing more symptoms of measles on January 1, and sought emergency treatment on January 2.
The man traveled between Taichung and Kaohsiung by high speed train, also took the Kaohsiung Metro, stayed at the Hub Hotel Kaohsiung Yixin, and visited several convenience stores and restaurants during his visits.
