To prevent any COVID-19 outbreaks due to cluster infection at the shareholder meetings held by listed and emerging stock companies, Financial Supervisory Commission has mandated that TDCC should research and then release Disease Prevention Operating Guideline for Shareholder Meetings while adopting the form of rolling review. Recently there have been concerns from issuing companies that setting up a quarantine area to provide measure for shareholders with fevers to exercise their voting rights may put other shareholders and working staff at risk of infection. In addition, some companies hold shareholder meetings at rental venues in hotels or other facilities, and some hotels do not approve of the setup of a quarantine area for fear that their business might be affected by fevered shareholders. As a consequence, the authority has been suggested to eliminate the quarantine area to deny the fevered shareholders entry into meeting venues.

Financial Supervisory Commission directed that TDCC should conduct a continuous collection of issuing companies’ feedback on disease prevention measures; based on discussions and the ban on fevered passengers’ use of public transportation, TDCC has gained permission based on the meeting resolution from Central Epidemics Command Center to forbid not wearing masks and fevered shareholders to enter shareholder meeting venues. Financial Supervisory Commission has announced the above resolution, and TDCC has updated the guideline to Disease Prevention Operating Guideline for Shareholder Meetings 3.0. The updated guideline was released and put into effect on April 20. The most significant amendment is the cancellation of the quarantine area. Besides, companies shall specify in the meeting notice that shareholders attending the meeting in person shall wear masks at all times and agree to have their temperatures taken. Shareholders are denied entry into the meeting venue should they attend without wearing masks or their forehead temperatures reach 37.5 °C or ear temperatures 38 °C after a secondary check.

There has been a gradual decline in the number of daily confirmed cases released by Central Epidemics Command Center, and there have even been days of zero confirmed cases. This means that Taiwan’s achievement in disease prevention is remarkable; however, preventive methods should still be conducted on high alert. To eliminate risks of cluster infection, Financial Supervisory Commission and TDCC will continue to appeal and promote that investors adopt E-Voting. Besides, if shareholders are found with fevers when attending shareholder meetings, they shall conform to the guideline and rest at home or seek immediate medical treatment.

Disease Prevention Operating Guideline for Shareholder Meetings