Taiwan has reported its first local coronavirus transmission, ending 253 days of being virus-free in a major blow for an island that has been lauded for its pandemic response.

Health authorities said a woman in her thirties had tested positive for the coronavirus after coming into contact with a “foreign pilot” working for a Taiwanese airline who was a carrier.

“Health units arranged for her to be tested and she was confirmed positive today,” the Centre for Disease Control said in a statement, according to AFP.

Taiwan has recorded just 770 coronavirus infections and seven deaths after it shut its borders early and implemented strict quarantine rules.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...