Taiwan on Saturday reported its first domestically transmitted case of the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.
This has prompted the Taiwanese government to tighten restrictions in the southern part of the island where the cases have been reported.
Taiwan is fighting a cluster of domestic infections, majority of which were linked to the previously globally dominant Alpha variant, as per reports from Reuters.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said six people in Pingtung county had been confirmed to have contracted the Delta variant.
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This includes two individuals who returned this month from Peru, where they are suspected of contracting the virus.
Chen added that one of them has been classified as a domestic infection.
A mass testing in the area where the cases were reported is underway, with suspected contacts placed under quarantine.
Half of Fangshan Township in Pingtung County has been placed under a “semi-Level 4” lockdown.
The government has ordered supermarkets, restaurants, and wet markets closed for three days.
“Now it has entered the community, and we are proactively working to contain it,” Chen said.
Taiwan had previously recorded five cases, of the Delta variant, which was first detected in India.
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Beginning June 27, the government will tighten border controls to keep out the variant, requiring arrivals from five countries, including Peru, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the U.K., and Israel, to be placed in centralized quarantine facilities.
The Delta variant now comprises 96% of sequenced cases in Britain.
The broader picture of Taiwan’s COVID-19 outbreak continues to improve, with Chen announcing 78 new cases, up only slightly from 76 the previous day, though controls on gatherings and public events remain in place.
Taiwan’s total number of infections stands at 14,545 cases, including 623 deaths. (RA)
