TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan reported 9,908 local COVID-19 infections Tuesday (Feb. 28) as well as 40 deaths and 212 imported cases.

The number of local infections was 41.41% lower than the previous Tuesday, and stayed below 10,000 for the second day running for the first time since April 2022. The stabilization of the pandemic led the authorities to scrap Taiwan’s indoor mask mandate from Feb. 20, with schools set to follow suit next Monday (March 6). Exceptions still in place include hospitals, care homes, and public transport.

Taiwan's total number of COVID infections since the start of the pandemic, including both local and imported cases, reached 10,043,227, with 17,948 deaths, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).