Taiwan sees sharp rise in Covid cases, posing risk to Lunar New Year

Outbreak at factory challenges zero Covid strategy that has kept the island largely free of the disease

Taiwan has reported a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases with a cluster among workers at a factory threatening authorities' tenuous control of an Omicron outbreak on the eve of Lunar New Year.

On Saturday, Taiwan's centre for disease control reported 82 domestic cases, including 63 found at the Taoyuan factory in a first round of testing on Friday. Most of those sick are migrant workers, health and welfare minister Chen Shih-chung said.