Coronavirus: Fears for daughter in quarantine in Taiwan

The mother of a British woman quarantined in Taiwan because of the coronavirus outbreak said she was being kept “in prison-like conditions”.

Nathalie Dawson, 28, arrived with her partner Rohan Pixley on 14 March.

Jill Weaver, from Leicestershire, said that a few days later they were separated and “incarcerated”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan disputed the claims, saying the pair had been quarantined with their consent, and were not “locked in”.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was assisting a British woman in quarantine who had “raised concerns about the conditions she is in”.

The couple left the UK on 13 March with the initial intention of staying in Taiwan before attending a wedding in Australia.

As the situation worsened while in Taiwan, they cancelled their trip to Australia.

Mrs Weaver, from Quorn, said the pair tried to get a flight home at this point but were unable to, so they went into quarantine at their hotel on 18 March.

But she said that on the same day they were taken – without explanation – to a facility in an ambulance, separated and given basic food.

“They are locked in and they can’t get out,” Mrs Weaver said.

“One man brings them food three times a day. But it is of poor quality and meagre portions.

“The room is filthy. She has no hot water and nowhere to wash her clothes.

“They have to quarantine, which is fine. We aren’t disputing that. It is the conditions they are being held in.”

‘Really struggling’
“She’s a very strong woman mentally, she’s done a lot of travelling worldwide, but she’s really struggling with this,” Mrs Weaver added.

“I feel guilty sitting in the garden because I can sit outside, but she can’t.

“It’s not right they are being kept like that. It’s just awful.”

Mrs Weaver said her daughter had celiac disease, meaning she needed a special diet which those feeding her were now accommodating.

The couple were told their 14-day quarantine period started from the day they landed.

They are due to leave isolation on Saturday when they will be expected to pay £6.25 for each per night to cover the cost of their food.

‘Not prison-like conditions’
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan said the couple had told authorities they could not afford to continue their quarantine stay in a hotel, so they were placed in a local quarantine centre “with their consent”.

“While its facilities may not be comparable to a hotel in comfort, they are not ‘prison-like conditions’, nor are people living at the center locked in,” a MOFA statement said.

“The center had initially arranged for the couple to reside separately in accommodations equipped with washroom facilities not to be shared with anyone else. However, the hot water heater in the accommodation assigned to the woman was found to be faulty. After she made this known, she was given a better equipped room.

“The center then arranged for designated shower facilities for her to ensure both privacy and convenience, and in line with its plans concerning quarantined individuals.

“The woman had requested permission to share a room with her boyfriend, but as this would defeat the principles underlying quarantine, and as the center wishes to prevent avenues for the disease to spread, her request was denied.”

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it was working with officials to release the couple.

BBC報導,有對英國情侶在台灣居家隔離檢疫,但抱怨檢疫中心像監獄。外交部今天說,報導內容不符事實,對媒體未經查證即刊登負面不實內容、傷害台灣聲譽,外交部深表遺憾。

2019冠狀病毒疾病全球大流行,中央流行疫情指揮中心日前發出公告,非本國籍人一律限制入境,所有入境者也必須居家檢疫14天,並回溯至3月5日至14日期間自歐洲入境的民眾。有對英國情侶因此正在台灣被隔離,但女子的媽媽卻向BBC抱怨台灣的隔離環境太差,「像是在監獄」。

英國廣播公司(BBC)今天報導,28歲的道森(Natalie Dawson)與澳洲籍伴侶皮克斯利(Rohan Pixley)在度假途中停留台灣,卻被告知要隔離14天。

對此,外交部發言人歐江安晚間表示,外交部已向花蓮縣政府查證,結果顯示報導所引述內容不符事實;對國際知名及其他媒體未經查證即刊登負面不實內容、傷害台灣國家聲譽和防疫形象,外交部深表遺憾。

歐江安指出,經仔細查證,這對英國情侶曾表示,沒有足夠金錢在原留宿旅館隔離檢疫14天,因此才由花蓮縣衛生局安排入住檢疫中心,並非受台灣方面強制安排。

歐江安表示,檢疫中心由學校宿舍改建而成,設備雖不如旅館舒適,但絕非報導所述「環境如監獄」、「遭反鎖」等。

歐江安說,檢疫中心每天收費新台幣267元,含住宿、餐飲及照顧。報導引述的英國民眾入住時曾表示有「無麩質飲食」需求,但因表述內容涉及專有名詞,檢疫中心人員未能即刻瞭解,但隨即在其入住當天第三餐起,開始提供「無麩質飲食」。

歐江安指出,報導所述檢疫中心無熱水不符事實;而英國女性要求與男友同宿,則違反隔離檢疫原則。檢疫中心為避免造成疫情破口,因此未同意要求。

針對報導,英國在台辦事處晚間發布聲明指出,辦事處持續協助在台居家檢疫的英國女子,並與台灣相關單位就該女子個人飲食需求等問題加以解決,台灣方面也提供該女子電話設備,以利其聯絡家人朋友。辦事處人員也已對該女子完成居家檢疫後的後續行程提供協助。