One Facial Mask Per 10 Disastrously Couldn’t Cover the Pandemic Situation in the Armed Forces

One Facial Mask Per 10 Disastrously Couldn’t Cover the Pandemic Situation in the Armed Forces

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

April 21, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

The country’s training and goodwill flotilla sailed to Palau; unexpectedly, a story shocked everybody that many officers and men were confirmed cases for coronavirus pneumonia, and learned about the pandemic situation only several days after disembarking in Taiwan. This large-scale cluster transmission not only destroyed overnight the “zero confirmed cases” record for many days in Taiwan, but also represented a loud admonition on the government, which prided itself on its achievement in countering the pandemic. What is more deplorable is that the Tsai government has recently been conducting facial mask diplomacy with great fanfare, but the military, nevertheless, has been rationed a quantity of masks of only ten percent of the full complement for the Armed Forces; it was not until enlisted men were infected recently that the government committed to increase one mask for everyone. With such an unreasonable approach, how could we ensure the quality and combat strength of the Armed Forces?

The Tsai government started to conduct facial mask diplomacy with great fanfare in March, donating over 10 million masks to other countries. What is surprising, when Defense Minister Yen Teh-fa answered questions at a legislative interpellation session on April 9^th, the outside world became aware that all Armed Forces were rationed 17,000 masks every day, only one tenth of the 180,000 officers and men.

The seriousness of infections onboard a naval ship this time took everyone by surprise. This incident, in addition to truly reflecting the unbalanced mentality of the Tsai government for "emphasizing diplomacy, slighting national defense," it also exposed the oversight and fatigue of the Central Epidemic Command Center. Especially, whether this wave of the pandemic situation would transmit the virus to the general public is something that allows not the slightest misstep.

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