Premier Su Tseng-chang on Monday visited the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to inspect front-line deployments in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and hear the latest reports on the situation. The premier said that Taiwan is successfully holding the line in the first phase of prevention efforts and now must move on to containment and disaster mitigation work. With the CECC upgraded to a level-1 facility, all ministries and agencies should act in concert to ensure smooth and unimpeded progress. Premier Su also thanked epidemic response personnel at the CECC and local governments for their dedication to the task at hand.
In the face of increasingly dire circumstances around the world, the initial success of Taiwan's collective outbreak control efforts has bought the nation precious time, said the premier. Since the end of 2019, the nation has seen close cooperation between the central and local governments on many fronts, with the full support of the people. From increasing face mask production capacity to all manner of supply logistics and mechanism building—including mask distribution, prevention efforts at schools, and communication through media and experts—the country has rallied to contain the outbreak from the very beginning.
The future is sure to throw up more arduous challenges, Premier Su said, and he called on all to take full responsibility for the battle against COVID-19 as the only means to beat the disease and restore peace of mind to the people of Taiwan.