Taiwan Church News
3555 Edition
April 13 – 19, 2020
Mission Service

Fighting a Potential Coronavirus Outbreak, SFSC Cares Migrant Fishermen with Masks and Hygiene Methods

Reported by Lin Wan-ting

From February on, responding to the increasingly serious coronavirus infections and an urgent demand to protect the migrant fishermen, PCT’s SFSC(Seamen’s/Fishermen’s Service Center) together with Workforce Development Agency of the Ministry of Labor launches an itinerary service across southern Taiwan harbors to supply medical masks and instruct the necessary hygiene methods, like washing hands, keeping windows open and social distancing etc.

As the coming May is the month about 77 vessels of squid jigging fishery on distant waters would come back to Taiwan, Rev Chen Wou-zang, director of SFSC, expresses his deep worry that there shall be over 3,000 fishermen assembled amid the southern harbors then.

“This will definitely be a grave challenge to Taiwan’s health system”, Rev Chen says in the interview explaining why such a ministry of reaching out to migrant fishermen under the pandemic is so critical and indispensable for both the fishermen and the hard-won health system on Taiwan.

Translated by Peter Wolfe