HOMEWARD BOUND: Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung confirmed that a charter flight is to return Taiwanese from the ‘Diamond Princess’

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 20, 2020
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporte

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced the nation’s 23th confirmed

case of COVID-19 and said that Taiwanese passengers on the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, would likely return home on a charter flight tomorrow.

The new case is the 60-year-old sister of the nation’s 19th case — a 61-year-old taxi driver who on Saturday last week became the first in Taiwan to die from COVID-19, shortly after testing positive, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.

The driver’s 51-year-old brother and 81-year-old mother, who lived with him, have also tested positive, while the driver’s nephew-in-law, who joined them at a family reunion lunch on Jan. 27, was on Monday confirmed to be infected.

The driver’s sister also joined the family reunion and sat close to him, Chen said, adding that she has experienced respiratory symptoms and was hospitalized on Monday.    [FULL  STORY]