Taipei Liaison Office in the RSA SA---TAIWAN-TAIWAN eNews MARCH 26TH 2020 PUBLPUBLISHER:ISHER: MATTHEW CHOU ISSUE 3 I, and the South African Government, have enormous appreciation for the contribution that the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has made to the commitment of the Govern- ment sector in the economic development in Africa. The ROC (Taiwan) further, made a gener- ous and much appreciated contribution to South Africa's transition to democracy . Statement by President Nelson Mandela —27 November 1996 Taipei Liaison Office Public Notice The South African Government email to [email protected] by sending an email to tlorsav- has officially announced a national [email protected] or a text message lockdown starting from the 26 th of For ROC (Taiwan) nationals who to 082-906-1413. March 2020 at Midnight to the seek emergency assistance in an 16 th of April 2020 in response to event of “severe injuries” or We will try our best to assist the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) “threats to personal safety” and promptly. Expect a delay in re- epidemic. other probable emergencies, sponding to your queries should please call our emergency assis- we receive a lot of enquiries. As a result, the Taipei Liaison Of- tance line at (+27) 082-802-9380. Please be assured that your re- fice in the Republic of South Africa Kindly note that this hotline DOES quests and enquiries will be at- will be closed during this time in NOT provide consular services. tended to and responded to in due compliance with the lockdown course. measures imposed by the South Please also note that the consular African Government. and office premises will be tempo- Applications sent to this office via rarily closed during the lockdown. postal or courier services during Direct all your enquiries to the All consular applications will be the lockdown will also be proc- following contacts: processed and received on an essed as soon as possible depend- 1. For general enquiries, send an “appointment only” basis. Should ing on the availability of the staff. email to southafri- you require urgent assistance for [email protected] such applications during this time, 2. For consular enquiries, send an please make an appointment first March Snapshots of Taiwan Left ,President Tsai Ing-wen (center) is briefed on coronavirus-fighting supplies at an ROC (Taiwan) mili- tary base during an inspection visit March 24 in the southern city of Tainan. (Courtesy of Presidential Of- fice); Middle ,Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu announces March 18 that Taiwan will work alongside the U.S. to combat COVID-19 by cooperating across a wide range of areas. (MOFA); Right ,Visitors can buy surgical masks upon arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport under a new coronavirus-fighting measure that took effect March 21. (CNA) ISSUE 3 SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Headline News Page 2 President Tsai praises personnel on front line of COVID-19 response President Tsai Ing-wen praised the Further support is in the pipeline work of front-line personnel re- with the recent announcement of sponding to the COVID-19 pandemic joint cooperation between Taiwan March 19 and said the government is and the U.S. on COVID-19 treatment sparing no effort containing the dis- and testing, Tsai said. This positive ease’s spread in Taiwan. development is a strong vote of con- fidence in local R&D, she added. As the global coronavirus outbreak continues to escalate, thousands of Tsai also thanked the public for com- people are working around the clock plying with the government’s disease to keep Taiwan safe, the president Tsai made the remarks during a visit -prevention directives. These efforts said, including researchers develop- to a COVID-19 testing kit and vaccine are key to combating coronavirus, ing rapid testing kits, lab technicians development laboratory headed by she said, adding that working to- performing coronavirus screening the Centers for Disease Control un- gether showcases the civilized nature and medical staffers treating pa- der the Ministry of Health and Wel- of Taiwan society. tients. fare in Taipei City. Latest statistics from the Central Epi- These unsung heroes lie at the heart According to Tsai, 34 designated fa- demic Command Center reveal 195 of Taiwan’s first line of defense cilities across Taiwan can screen confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tai- against the disease, Tsai said, adding 3,200 individuals for coronavirus per wan as of March 23, with two deaths. that their selfless contribution is ap- day, with the country’s testing capac- A total of 81,093 cases have been preciated by the government and ity constantly increasing. identified in China and 248,309 in people. 165 other countries and territories. Premier Su approves 2nd COVID-19 relief act Legislation comprising NT$40 billion months. (US$1.31 billion) in business and per- sonal relief measures aimed at damp- Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka ening the economic impact in Taiwan said the legislation is expected to of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) benefit up to a million citizens. In addi- outbreak was approved March 24 by tion, the budget can be reviewed and Premier Su Tseng-chang. revised upward in response to chang- ing conditions, she added. Drafted by the Ministries of Economic Affairs, Finance, Health and Welfare, like aviation and tourism. These firms The first relief act—capped at NT$60 Transportation and Communications, are eligible for discounted utilities, billion—was signed into law Feb. 25 by and Financial Supervisory Commission, preferential and special loans, subsi- President Tsai Ing-wen. It contains 18 the bill is the second of its kind for the dies and tax reductions. articles and runs until June 30. country since the virus was first re- ported in the Chinese city of Wuhan The bill also takes into account difficul- Statistics from the Central Epidemic last year. It represents the commit- ties encountered by the public. Reme- Command Center under the MOHW’s ment of the government to maintain- dies include deferred taxation and tele- Centers for Disease Control reveal 235 ing economic and social stability in the phone charges, as well as reduced in- confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan face of the World Health Organization- terest rates for home loans. Under- as of March 25, with two deaths. A designated pandemic. privileged groups, including children, total of 408,592 cases have been iden- the mentally and physically challenged, tified in 172 other countries and terri- One of the legislation’s central planks and seniors, can also apply for a tories. addresses the needs of small and me- monthly supplement of NT$1,500 for a dium enterprises in hard-hit sectors maximum of three consecutive ISSUE 3 SA-TAIWAN ENEWS MOFA Page 3 Foreign Minister Wu talks Taiwan’s COVID-19 response on Fox Business deal with it. The whole government epidemic, but a series of policy an- established how to deal with the nouncements were rolled out to help situation.” industries cope with any economic impact, Wu added. Wu made the remarks during an interview for "Mornings with The minister said a key contributor to Maria" on U.S.-based TV network the success of the government’s dis- Fox Business. ease-fighting efforts has been keep- ing the public fully abreast of devel- Taiwan’s strategy for combating According to the minister, the gov- opments at home and abroad, with coronavirus (COVID-19) relies on a ernment started to take action in late health officials offering daily press whole of government approach and December last year when it learned briefings and updates through social open communication backed by the that there were cases of pneumonia media channels. “I think, overall, this lessons learned from dealing with of unknown cause in Wuhan. Meas- is quite successful." severe acute respiratory syndrome, ures included setting up the Central according to Foreign Minister Epidemic Command Center, imple- This is the second time Wu has ap- Jaushieh Joseph Wu March 24. menting onboard screening for pas- peared on an international network sengers from the Chinese city and discussing how Taiwan is managing The experience managing SARS in strengthening border checks at air- the global pandemic, following a 2003 has helped Taiwan when com- ports for all visitors. March 19 interview with the Cana- pared with other countries confront- dian Broadcasting Corp. ing the disease, Wu said. “We were Not only was the country’s medical hit very hard, and we learned how to system properly prepared for the MOFA Minister Wu talks Taiwan’s COVID-19 track record on US radio The government is working hard to public, rationing key medical supplies contain COVID-19 in Taiwan and and tracking confirmed and possible stands ready to work alongside the cases. U.S. in the fight against the disease, according to Foreign Minister The head of the Ministry of Foreign Jaushieh Joseph Wu March 16. Affairs made the remarks during an exclusive interview in Taipei City for Taiwan has been more successful U.S.-based radio program the Hugh than some other countries in dealing Hewitt Show. During the recording, with coronavirus because of its ex- the minister also talked about perience during the severe acute res- China’s authoritarian approach to piratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, handling the pandemic, which Wu said Taiwan is also leveraging its Wu said. “We learned the lesson, and started in the city of Wuhan in late medical R&D capability and cooper- therefore tried to structure the gov- 2019. ating with the U.S. to develop rapid ernment to deal with an epidemic testing kits, medicines and vaccines.