Essential workers in certain government-regulated industries will need proof of a second COVID-19 vaccine dose administered before Dec. 17 beginning Jan. 1, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Sunday.

At a press briefing, CECC spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (???) said that the tightened rules would include requiring workers attached to certain ministries to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 1, with at least 14 days between receiving their second dose and their first day of work.

Those employed by or working in institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), and the Ministry of Labor (MOL) will be covered by the CECC’s new regulations.

MOE:

Senior-high schools and below, including kindergartens; afterschool care centers; community colleges; cram schools; learning establishments for elders; competitive and leisure sports centers; swimming pools; and arts and performance groups from senior-high schools and below.

MOEA:

Visual media projection businesses; arcades; net-cafes; karaokes; boardgame and mahjong establishments; ballroom restaurants and wedding venues; cosmetics-related establishments; exhibition halls; and nightclub-related businesses, including bars, bistros, and establishments such as saunas and special teahouses.

MOHW:

Infant care facilities; social welfare-initiated community activities and programs; dementia help centers; childcare centers; and holistic health improvement businesses.

MOL:

MOL-run vocational training establishments

Chuang said that returning workers and new recruits should provide their employers and managers with prove of inoculation, alongside negative results from either COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, or rapid tests, both of which should be taken within three days prior to the first day of work.

Employees or new recruits with a history of contracting COVID-19 will be exempt from providing proof of inoculation if they can provide a notarized quarantine release certificate from within the past three months, Chuang added.

However, individuals must still provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result, or a negative rapid test taken three days before starting work, and will also be required to get fully vaccinated within three months.

For individuals who have been deemed to be medically unfit for vaccination, Chuang said that in addition to the initial negative test result, such workers would also need to continue providing negative test results on a weekly basis.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel