The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC; traditional Chinese: 衛生福利部疾病管制署; simplified Chinese: 卫生福利部疾病管制署; pinyin: Wèishēng Fúlì Bù Jíbìng Guǎnzhì Shǔ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ōe-seng Hok-lī Pō͘ Chi̍t-pēⁿ Koán-chè Sú) is the agency of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of China (Taiwan) that combats the threat of communicable diseases.

As well, medical staff freely transit the Taiwan Strait, so the TCDC was dimly aware that something was awry in December.

[4] By 5 January 2020, the Taiwan CDC began monitoring all individuals who had travelled to Wuhan within fourteen days and exhibited a fever or symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.

These people were screened for 26 known pathogens, including SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome, and those testing positive were quarantined.

Around 6 pm in the afternoon I got a phone call from the director general of the Taiwan CDC that (I and a colleague) had permission to go to Wuhan.