TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan announced Monday (Jan. 10) that quarantine taxis are prohibited from carrying ordinary passengers until Jan. 23 to curb the fresh COVID-19 outbreak centered on the country's main gateway.

The measure will apply to cabs designated for epidemic prevention services, including shuttling arrivals to quarantine facilities from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Songshan Airport, and Kaohsiung International Airport, per CNA.

The move, which comes after a cluster event in which several cab drivers tested positive for COVID, is intended to reduce the likelihood of the virus spreading to communities from a taxi not properly disinfected after transporting an arrival.

Drivers will be compensated with NT$3,500 (US$126.50) per day during this period and must sign an affidavit promising they will comply with the rules. Violators will have their subsidy retracted and be removed from the COVID task fleet, according to the Directorate General of Highways.

The vehicles will be labeled with stickers to better identify them as part of the fleet, per TVBS. Sterilization is carried out before, during, and after each ride, focusing on areas of potential exposure such as door handles, seats, and seatbelt buckles.