TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taxi drivers are being advised to leave their car windows open after Taiwan reported its first death on Sunday (Feb. 16), of a cab driver who may have contracted the Wuhan coronavirus from his customers.

Bus or cab drivers should ensure they have a well-ventilated environment when driving if face masks are not available, said infectious diseases expert Hwang Kao-ping (黃高彬) of the CMU Children’s Hospital. 

The victim was in his 60s and had underlying health problems and may have contracted the virus from his customers. His clients mainly hailed from China, Hong Kong, and Macau, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The case has sparked concerns of "community spread" — with COVID-19 dispersing through the wider Taiwan community. Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), an epidemiologist, on Monday (Feb. 17) sought to assuage the public’s fears by clarifying the difference between community spread and local transmission.

In a Facebook post, he said the victim was a locally infected case, but this doesn’t necessarily mean a large-scale spread is occurring. An investigation has been launched into tracking the source of transmission.

Citing Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), the epidemiologist stressed community spread is defined by four signs: untraceable source of infection, local infections outnumbering imported cases, sustained transmission chains, and cluster events of infections.

Currently, Chen Chien-jen said, there’s insufficient evidence to determine community spread is happening in Taiwan. Taiwan has reported 20 confirmed cases of the virus outbreak to date, including the one fatality.