TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Center for Disease Control (CDC) official said Taiwan will likely make a complete return to normal life by this summer, with nearly all pandemic control measures removed.
Convenor of the Ministry of Health and Welfare Advisory Committee on Vaccination Li Ping-ying (李秉穎) said that while the pandemic was still a serious concern, at this point the majority of infections result in only mild cases, so restrictions such as the indoor mask policy will likely be relaxed soon. Li made the comments on a UDN podcast (新聞放鞭炮) released on Thursday (Feb. 2).
His comments follow the WHO announcement that the pandemic is in a “transition period” and that the global situation is improving.
Li said that people have largely returned to normal life and that the CDC will likely downgrade Covid-19 from the fifth category of infectious disease to the fourth soon.
On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the CDC announced that from Feb. 7 those entering Taiwan will only need to take an at-home rapid test if they develop symptoms during their self-initiated health monitoring period. Li said that the policy change is not likely to have a big effect on Taiwan, and that new variants are something of an inevitability at this point.
Li praised the government’s response to the pandemic over the past three years, saying that though the situation will likely require ongoing observation, the threat of COVID will continue to get lower and lower. He said that eventually, he expects that COVID symptoms will be more similar to a mild cold, allowing people to return to a normal life.
