TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said on Wednesday (Oct. 12) that it’s not time to lift the mask mandate as the country is still at the peak of Omicron subvariant BA.5 infections, but gave no definite answer to when it will end.

Hsueh expressed his position at a meeting at the country’s legislature in response to a legislator’s question, CNA reported.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Hui-yuan (賴惠員) asked the minister whether Taiwan is about to lift the mask mandate, citing data from media reports about some countries that have lifted the mask mandate and their numbers of Covid-19 cases.

Hsueh said that the data is correct, but people need to be careful about how to interpret the data, per CNA. Taiwan is still at the peak of BA.5 infections, but the infections have peaked much earlier in many other countries, so it’s problematic to apply this data to Taiwan’s situation, he added.

The minister said that it’s not the right time to lift the mask mandate and the decision to do so depends on how the pandemic pans out. The flu season is coming in the fall and winter seasons, and wearing masks will give people a certain degree of protection, he added, per CNA.