Hong Kong (CNN) – Taiwanese officials said they would no longer fine a man for breaking the quarantine because investigators found that he was abducted in an unfortunate case of exchanged identity.
The man, whose surname is Chen, had arrived from Hong Kong in late October and was quarantined at a friend’s house in the central city of Nantou, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice’s Administrative Enforcement Agency in Changhua.
On November 1 at 11 pm, debt collectors invaded and took Chen away against his will, mistaking him for his friend. They forced him to pay his debts and eventually returned Chen, who suffered injuries during the ordeal.
Local public health officials initially fined Chen $ 3,500 for violating the quarantine order, but the case was turned over to the Ministry of Justice to investigate allegations of forced detention.
Police have verified Chen’s claim and the kidnappers are now under investigation, officials said.
Although the case is unusual, the heavy fine is not. Taiwan imposed a series of heavy fines on people who violate the quarantine as part of its world-class response to the pandemic.
Experts say Taiwan’s response to the pandemic was one of the most successful thanks to its initial and decisive action – an important lesson the island has learned from the deadly SARS outbreak.
Taiwanese officials began scanning passengers on direct flights from Wuhan, where the virus was first identified, on December 31, 2019 – when the virus was mostly the subject of limited rumors and reports, long before Wuhan went into blockade. In March, Taiwan had banned all foreigners from entering the island, except diplomats, residents and people with special entry visas. Those who entered were forced to quarantine.
Taiwanese police and CNN blurred parts of the image above to protect the man’s identity.
CNN’s Beijing office contributed to this report.