TAIPEI: Taiwan on Tuesday (Dec 22) reported 

its first locally transmitted case of COVID-19

in more than eight months.The local case is a friend of a New Zealand pilot who tested
positive for COVID-19, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung told a news conference. He added
that the woman in her 30s had close contact with the pilot, who was confirmed to have been
infected on Sunday having flown flights to the United States.

Chen said the New Zealand national had not correctly reported all his contacts and list of
places he had been, and that he may be in breach of Taiwan's communicable diseases law.

The government has published a list of places he went to in and around Taipei, and told
people who may have been there to monitor their health. 

The pilot - who faces a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,600) - visited several

establishments including a department store, say authorities. 

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According to a Facebook post by the health ministry, they were in contact from Dec 7 to Dec
12. She was also in contact with 167 people, of whom 13 have been quarantined.

Taiwan tech firm Quanta Storage said the woman was an employee at a subsidiary, and that
contacts who had been tested so far had come back negative for the virus.

Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last reported a locally transmitted COVID-
19 case on Apr 12. 

The island also reported three more imported COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. Since the
pandemic began, Taiwan has reported 771 COVID-19 cases and seven deaths. 
Sabah Assistant Minister of Works Datuk Limus Jury (PN-Kuala Penyu) said an allocation of
RM2.53 billion was approved under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) for the purpose. File pic

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah and federal governments aim to get treated water to
be supplied to rural residents in all parts of the state by 2035, the Sabah State
Legislative Assembly was told today.
Sabah Assistant Minister of Works Datuk Limus Jury (PN-Kuala Penyu) said an
allocation of RM2.53 billion was approved under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) for
the purpose.
"Under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), the federal government approved an
additional allocation for the Rural Water Supply project of RM450 million," he said in
response to an oral question from Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak (BN-Usukan) on
initiatives taken by the state government to address rural water supply issue.
He said the ministry was also taking steps to solve the water supply problem in
urban areas, with plans for the implementation of Phase 3 of the Kota Kinabalu
Water Supply project to address the problem in Kota Kinabalu and Papar.
In response to an oral question from Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin (PN-
Nabawan) on basic infrastructure project in the interiors of Sabah, Limus said the
Rural Electricity Supply (BELB) project targeted 99.99 per cent of Sabah's rural
areas to receive electricity by 2025.
He said for the period from 2020 to 2022, 68 villages, involving 1,884 houses, are
targeted to receive electricity supply through the BELB project , which is carried out
under the supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development.
He said the ministry was also taking steps to solve the water supply problem in
urban areas, with plans for the implementation of Phase 3 of the Kota Kinabalu
Water Supply project to address the problem in Kota Kinabalu and Papar.
In response to an oral question from Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin (PN-
Nabawan) on basic infrastructure project in the interiors of Sabah, Limus said the
Rural Electricity Supply (BELB) project targeted 99.99 per cent of Sabah's rural
areas to receive electricity by 2025.
He said for the period from 2020 to 2022, 68 villages, involving 1,884 houses, are
targeted to receive electricity supply through the BELB project , which is carried out
under the supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development.