Following the Tomb Sweeping Festival long weekend, Taiwan’s Health Minister Chen Shih-chung has asked all those who travelled to crowded places during the holiday to practice self-health management for the next 14 days. This news comes a few days after it was announced that everyone taking public transport in the country will be required to wear a facemask while traveling. (Read more: You now need to wear a facemask on intercity public transport in Taiwan)
In a nutshell, these self-health management guidelines basically mean that those who visited crowded tourist spots over the weekend should work from home/not attend school for two weeks as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.
Spots that were particularly popular over the long weekend include the Alishan area, Hualien’s East Gate night market, Wenhua Road in Chiayi and Wushantou Reservoir in Tainan. A full list of places highlighted by The Central News Agency can be found in Chinese here.
Since the initial announcement, the intercity public transport facemask requirement has been extended to taxis, with drivers free to refuse passengers without masks. According to The News Lens: “Passengers without face masks will be denied entry to public transportation and are subject to penalties between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000. The Taipei City Council added that non-surgical or fabric masks are acceptable.” Several hundred people were reportedly denied boarding public transport over the holiday period.
At the time of writing, Taiwan has 363 reported cases of coronavirus with five deaths. (Read more: Taiwan’s facemask rationing system is now available in English)
(Cover photo: Kaizer Bienes)
