TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday (Jan. 19) announced that one member of a coronavirus cluster infection associated with the Taoyuan General Hospital is an employee of the fast food chain MOS Burger and is believed to have interacted with customers while potentially contagious.
On Tuesday, CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced the four latest cases from a cluster of infections tied to a hospital in northern Taiwan, including Cases 864, 865, 868, and 869. Among these latest cases is Case No. 865, a woman in her 20s who is an employee of a MOS Burger in Taoyuan City.
According to Chen, Case No. 865 is the daughter of Case No. 863, a nurse who works at the same hospital as Case No. 838, a physician who was the first person in the cluster infection. Chen said that from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18, just prior to her diagnosis, Case No. 865 went to work at the MOS Burger fast food restaurant inside the National Taiwan Sport University Station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT on Wenhua 1st Road in Taoyuan's Guishan District.
Chen said that the small MOS Burger branch had one employee (Case No. 865) and one manager on staff on those dates. The manager has begun home isolation, has been tested for the coronavirus, and is awaiting the results. When asked by the media if the CECC will be able to track down all the persons who came in contact with the woman while on duty, Chen said that she was responsible for a lot of work in the store, both in preparing the food and interacting with customers.
Since there are a large number of customers on a daily basis, Chen conceded that it would be very difficult to identify all of her contacts. Chen said that it is for this reason that the CECC has already announced her presence at the restaurant chain to inform any members of the public who may have gone there.
MOS Burger on Tuesday issued a statement in which it said that the restaurant has been closed since Monday (Jan. 18). It added that all affected employees have started to undergo home isolation and comprehensive cleaning and disinfection has been carried out in the restaurant.
Chen advises all persons who went to that MOS Burger restaurant to immediately start self-health monitoring. If any persons who visited the venue experience symptoms, they are advised to wear a medical mask and seek medical attention as soon as possible but be sure to avoid taking public transportation.
When meeting with medical professionals, patients should be prepared to inform them of their contact and travel history, occupational exposure, and whether there were other people around them when symptoms arose. After consulting with a physician, be sure to wear a mask on the way home, avoid going out, and keep a distance of at least one meter from other persons when talking with them.
Persons who suspect that they have symptoms of COVID-19 should call the toll-free epidemic prevention hotline 1922 or 0800-001922.
Dates, times, and locations that Cases 863, 864, and 865 recently visited. (CECC image)
