TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) will continue functioning until June 30, 2023, Health and Welfare Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said Friday (Sept. 30).

As the body announced most border restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be lifted Oct. 13, questions have been raised about how long the CECC still needed to function. Thailand decided to dissolve its counterpart, the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, on Friday, the same day as the end of an emergency decree.

At the Legislative Yuan, Hsueh gave legislators a positive answer when they wanted to know whether the CECC would only be disbanded at the end date of the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization, CNA reported.

The minister said that many measures still in force needed to be managed by the CECC, while its existence was not related to the status of the pandemic. It was up to the premier to decide the alert level for COVID-19 and the leadership of the CECC, Hsueh said.

The CECC gained a high public profile due to its almost daily news conferences to announce the number of new infections and deaths, and to introduce or end measures to combat COVID.