Nursing staff deployed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare are to begin reviewing disease prevention practices at international seaports after a COVID-19 cluster infection was reported at the Port of Kaohsiung, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

The cluster, which affected workers on a container ship docked at the nation’s largest international seaport, had grown to 50 confirmed cases as of yesterday.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai said during an inspection tour of the port that nursing staff dispatched by the health ministry would help Taiwan International Ports Corp, which operates the nation’s ports, re-examine its disease prevention measures at international seaports, with work to begin today at the Port of Keelung.

Stevedores, clerks and other shipping service personnel are required to wear masks, face shields and other protective gear when boarding a ship, Wang said.

The Port and Maritime Bureau has installed 17 checkpoints at international seaports across Taiwan, which would check the identity of people boarding ships and their protective gear, he said, adding that they would be guided onboard by designated staff.

Vessels must be thoroughly disinfected before boarding is allowed, he said.

People who access ships must register at the port and wear protective gear at all times while they are working and can only depart the seaports after they have been thoroughly disinfected, Wang said.

Those who refuse to register or wear protective gear would not be allowed to board any ship, he said.

“We will discuss with health officials whether it is necessary that these service personnel should undergo COVID-19 testing when they disembark,” he said.

Management teams at seaports have been asked to strictly control personnel and vehicles entering high-risk areas, Wang said, adding that they are to ensure that workers and contractors leasing facilities follow disease prevention guidelines.
Source: Taipei Times