The first locally transmitted case of COVID-19 in more than eight months was reported in Taiwan, ending what was the world’s longest stretch without a domestic infection and providing a reminder of the virus’s ability to outfox even the most successful efforts to contain it.
A 30-year-old woman was confirmed to have caught the coronavirus in Taiwan, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung said at a briefing in Taipei on Tuesday. While it has seen cases in travelers arriving from outside, Taiwan’s last infection within the community was April 12.
The woman came into repeated contact between Dec. 7 and Dec. 12 with a pilot from New Zealand who had caught the coronavirus in the U.S. before traveling to Taiwan, according to Chen. The government will fine the Eva Airways Corp. pilot up to 300,000 New Taiwan dollars ($10,000) for failure to report details of his close contacts and steps.