Sun, Apr 12, 2020
‘LOOKS ENCOURAGING’: The results are not enough to draw definitive conclusions, but the observations are hopeful, the study’s lead author Jonathan Grein said More than half of a group of severely ill COVID-19 patients improved after receiving an experimental antiviral drug, although there is no way to know the odds of that happening without the drug, because there was no comparison group, doctors said on Friday. The results published in the New England Journal of Medicine are the first in COVID-19 patients for remdesivir. The Gilead Sciences drug has shown promise against other coronaviruses in the past and in lab tests against the one causing COVID-19, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives. No drugs have been approved for treating the disease. At least five large studies are testing remdesivir, and the company also has given it to more than 1,700 patients on a case-by-case emergency basis. Friday’s results are on 53 of those patients, ages 23 to 82, hospitalized in the US, Europe, Canada and Japan. Thirty-four of them were sick enough to require breathing machines. All were given the drug intravenously for 10 days or as long as they tolerated it. After 18 days on average, 36 patients, or 68 percent, needed less oxygen or breathing machine support. Eight others worsened. Seven patients died, nearly all of them older than 70. The 13 percent mortality rate is lower than seen in some other reports, but no true comparisons can be made without a study rigorously testing the drug in similar groups of patients, the authors said. A dozen patients had serious problems, but it was not clear whether they were from the drug or their disease. Those included septic shock and trouble with kidneys and other organs. Four discontinued treatment because of health problems they developed. “It looks encouraging,” said Elizabeth Hohmann, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital who is helping lead one of the studies testing the drug. The problems that occurred were not unexpected
The Executive Yuan has decided to increase the number of rooms at quarantine facilities from 1,500 to 2,000 as a pre-emptive measure amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a source said yesterday. The 2,000 single rooms would be spread across 16 locations nationwide, including Taipei’s Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園) and Taoyuan’s Gueishan District (龜山), a government official said on condition of anonymity. The rooms are adapted from employee training facilities owned by different government agencies and state-run enterprises, as well as military quarters, they said. Meanwhile, the number of rooms in quarantine hotels would also be increased from 8,000 to 15,000, after the Tourism Bureau negotiated with hoteliers possessing detached buildings, they said. The government provides a daily subsidy of NT$2,000 for using a quarantine room, with NT$1,000 going to the person under quarantine and NT$1,000 to the hotelier, they said. The Cabinet decided to increase quarantine facilities because some people have left their homes, despite being under quarantine, they said. It is also a pre-emptive measure to ensure that there is enough space for people returning from China on charter flights, as well as migrant workers, they said. The quarantine rooms are equipped with TVs and have Internet connectivity, they added. Separately yesterday, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that, starting tomorrow, visitors to post offices would face a fine of NT$3,000 to NT$15,000 if they do not wear a mask after being asked to do so. While post offices have been requiring people to wear masks and have their temperature taken before entering, some people have refused to comply and argued with office workers, the ministry said. The fine, based on the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法), was approved by the Central Epidemic Command Center on Friday, the ministry said. China Postal Workers’ Union chairman Wu Wen-feng (吳文豐) said that he supports the new rule, as several people have attempted
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced three new cases of COVID-19, all of them imported, bringing the nation’s total number of confirmed cases to 385. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that two of the cases were tested at the airport upon their arrival in Taiwan and the other was under mandatory home quarantine. Case No. 383 is a man in his 60s who works in the US and had sought treatment for an upset stomach, loss of appetite and a fever in the US, Chen said. Case No. 384 is a man in his 70s who lives in the US and started coughing up phlegm on Friday last week, he said. Both men returned to Taiwan on Friday, reported their health conditions to airport quarantine officers, were reported for testing and their test results came out positive yesterday, Chen said. Case No. 385 is a woman in her 20s who studied in France, returned to Taiwan on Friday last week and was put under home quarantine, he said. The next day, she developed a runny and stuffy nose and a fever, and was arranged for testing and treatment by the local health department, Chen said. A total of 385 cases — 331 imported and 54 domestic — have been confirmed in Taiwan, Chen said, adding that they include six deaths and 99 people discharged from hospital after treatment, with the rest still hospitalized. Asked about an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that more than two-thirds of severely ill COVID-19 patients saw their conditions improve after being treated with the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir, CECC advisory specialist panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said that it seems to be the most promising drug for treating COVID-19 so far. He said the article analyzed the
Any premature lifting of restrictions imposed to control the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a fatal resurgence of the new coronavirus, the WHO said on Friday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that while some governments were considering ways to ease the restrictions, which have placed about half of humanity under some form of lockdown, doing so too quickly could be dangerous. “I know that some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-at-home restrictions. WHO wants to see restrictions lifted as much as anyone,” he told a virtual news conference in Geneva, Switzerland. “At the same time, lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence. The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly,” he said. “WHO is working with affected countries on strategies for gradually and safely easing restrictions.” Tedros spelled out six factors that should be considered before restrictions could be safely eased. He said that transmission would have to be controlled; sufficient public health services made available; outbreak risks in care homes minimized; preventative measures imposed in workplaces and schools; virus importation risks managed; and communities made aware of and engaged in the transition. The global death toll has surpassed 100,000. More than 1.7 million infections have been recorded globally since the virus first emerged in China late last year. Tedros welcomed signs that its spread was slowing in some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe — citing Spain, Italy, Germany and France. However, he also warned of an “alarming acceleration” of the virus elsewhere, highlighting Africa, where he said it was beginning to emerge in rural areas. “We are now seeing clusters of cases and community spread in more than 16 countries” on the continent, the former Ethiopian health minister said. “We anticipate severe hardship for already overstretched health systems, particularly in rural areas, which normally
MISDIRECTION: Chinese social media users posing as Taiwanese have taken responsibility for racist attacks that the WHO’s head claimed originated in Taiwan Chinese posing as Taiwanese have issued online apologies to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for “personal attacks” and “racist abuse,” Taiwanese authorities said yesterday. Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau officials presented the findings at a media briefing to rebut accusations by Tedros, who on Wednesday accused Taiwan of engaging in personal attacks against him. Tedros said that he over the past three months received death threats and racist abuse, and claimed that it originated from Taiwan. Within hours of Tedros’ remarks, Twitter accounts traced to China began posting apologies to the WHO head on behalf of the Taiwanese public, which were then circulated on Chinese social media, amplifying their reach, Cyber Security Office head Chang Yu-jen (張尤仁) said. The first such messages found by the bureau originated from the Twitter accounts @TMGNews_CN and @RFXZ_China, whose Chinese-language descriptions respectively purport them to be a news outlet and a radio station in Xuzhou, China, Chang said. Chang said both posted apologies in Chinese, while one was accompanied with an English-language translation that read: “Be [sic] a Taiwanese, I feel extremely ashamed that we attacked Tandse [sic] in such a malicious way. I apologize to Tedros on behalf of Taiwanese and beg for his forgiveness.” Comments on the messages called for other Chinese social media users to “use the statement as a template to copy and pass off as Taiwanese issuing an apology,” with some even copying online pictures of a Taiwanese national identification card to accompany social media posts, Chang said. Chinese social media users then issued rallying calls with comments including: “Remember to use the format,” “Please disguise yourself more realistically” and “It is fun to play this game” to encourage others to impersonate Taiwanese as part of an online “fake apology” campaign to “admit” perpetrating the alleged attacks against Tedros, Chang said. In addition to the messages,
Following accusations by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that Taiwan has been behind abusive, racist attacks against him over the past three months amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the government on Thursday detailed the aid it has provided to Ethiopia — Tedros’ home country. Through semi-official or non-governmental channels, Taiwan has extended humanitarian aid to Ethiopia in a broad range of areas — livelihood improvements, healthcare, nutrition, food/water supply, education, and children and women’s rights — for several years, as well as social support, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) said. For example, three Ethiopian nationals participated in the ICDF’s programs on “environment monitoring and catastrophe prevention” and “projection and management of science industrial parks” in 2012, as well as a “clean power development strategy” workshop in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated organization said. Each Ethiopian participant received NT$150,000 (US$4,983 at the current exchange rate) to cover the cost of their airfare, courses, food, accommodation and transportation during their two-week stays in Taiwan, it said. In 2018, five Ethiopian nationals participated in the “fostering program for medics from friendly countries” in Taiwan, where they received training from Mackay Memorial Hospital and Tri-Service General Hospital free of charge, the ICDF said. During that group’s one-to-three-month stay in Taiwan, their expenses were covered by a number of agencies, with the ICDF paying NT$70,000 for each of them, it said. Taiwanese private-sector groups — including the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, World Vision and other non-governmental organizations — have also extended assistance to Ethiopia in the form of fundraising, child adoptions and cooperative ventures. Last month, an Ethiopian exchange student in Taiwan underwent an operation for deep vein thrombosis, the cost of which — NT$1.45 million — was paid by the hospital, the Taiwan chapter of Kiwanis International and donations from members of the public. Meanwhile, the government
HEALTH DATA: The government should offer more incentives to encourage companies to invest in making their businesses pregnancy-friendly, a specialist said Taiwanese women who gave birth in 2018 were on average 32 years old, while 31.12 percent of women who gave birth in 2018 were 35 and older, the first time that figure has exceeded 30 percent, a report released on Monday by the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) showed. Giving birth at a later age poses health risks to the mother and the baby, the HPA said, urging women to give birth between the ages of 25 and 30. The number of newborns in Taiwan has decreased from about 210,000 in 2014 to 180,000 in 2018, down 30,000 in just five years, while the average age of first-time mothers rose to 30.9, Ministry of the Interior data showed. Women aged 35 and older represented 23.03 percent of all women that gave birth six years ago, increasing in 2018 to 30.12 percent, it showed. Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology secretary-general Huang Min-chao (黃閔照) said that as a nation advances to a certain level, the education period of women is extended, and about 50 percent of women enter the workforce after graduation, inevitably delaying parenthood. However, the population of women who give birth at 35 and older in Taiwan is growing faster than expected, Huang added. HPA official Chen Li-chuan (陳麗娟) said that pregnancy at a later age comes with higher risks, such as infertility, miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, hypertension and diabetes, while children born to older mothers are at a higher risk of low birthweight, chromosomal abnormalities and other genetic disorders. Mothers aged 35 and older in 2018 had an 11.65 percent chance of giving birth to newborns weighing less than 2.5kg and a 1.56 percent chance of stillbirth, while the figures for mothers aged 20 to 34 were 8.84 percent and 0.99 percent respectively, HPA data showed. The government should step up efforts to promote a pregnancy-friendly workplace
A US Navy guided-missile warship and two military reconnaissance aircraft were operating near Taiwan over the past two days, after Chinese warplanes showed up in the area, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed yesterday. The USS Barry, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, sailed through the Taiwan Strait from north to south, the ministry said in a news release, without specifying when. However, media reported that the US destroyer transited the Strait on Friday, tailed by the Chinese missile frigate Nantong. The Barry exited the Strait before dawn yesterday, a military officer said. The US Pacific Fleet yesterday on Facebook confirmed the Barry’s passage through the Strait. Accompanied by several photographs, the post was titled: “The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) conducts underway operations in the Taiwan Strait.” “Barry is forward-deployed to the US Seventh Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” a caption read. Separately, a US Navy EP-3E Aries electronic reconnaissance aircraft was yesterday morning seen flying south of Taiwan, a flight chart posted on Twitter by Aircraft Spots, a tracker of military air movements, showed. The sortie was the seventh time since March 25 that a US military aircraft has been seen passing near Taiwan, ministry data showed. The ministry said that it has been closely monitoring the aircraft’s and vessels’ movements when near Taiwan’s territorial waters and airspace, but has detected no irregularities. On Friday morning, Aircraft Spots showed a US military aircraft — an RC-135U Combat Sent — flying over the South China Sea. The aircraft is typically deployed to locate and identify land, naval and airborne radar signals from foreign military for analysis. The US vessels and aircraft showed up in the area after Chinese J-11 fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and H-6 bombers on Friday morning flew over waters southwest
A successful attempt by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to develop external pods for the nation’s locally made fighter jets would allow the military to shore up its electronic warfare capability, a military source said yesterday. Development of the external pods would address the Taiwan-made Indigenous Defense Fighter’s (IDF) lack of electronic warfare capabilities, the source said, adding that dependable pods would considerably enhance the fighter jets’ combat effectiveness. Larger fighter jets — such as the F-16Vs that Taiwan is purchasing from the US — come with such equipment built in, the source added. The IDF’s narrower frame cannot accommodate the electronics, so the military commissioned the institute to design an indigenous external pod. Also, the number of companies that supply radar warning receivers has been dwindling. The air force’s Phoenix Rising Project has purchased external pods with digital radio frequency memory for the nation’s fleet of F-16A/B jets, which are receiving F-16V upgrades — a source of controversy. The Control Yuan in 2018 told the Republic of China Air Force Command Headquarters to improve its protocols for purchasing equipment. However, the pod development might encounter obstacles regarding US research and development on new pods, the source said. Delivery of the 66 F-16Vs would not be affected, but the US is reassessing the functionality and overhead cost of the F-16V’s electronic warfare suite, Air Force Command Headquarters said on March 21, adding that it would consider purchasing any add-ons or making other changes within the guidelines of the Special Act for New Fighter Acquisition (新式戰機採購特別條例及預算).
GAINING GROUND: More than 56 countries ban corporal punishment against children, and the foundation said that it hopes that Taiwan is next The Humanistic Education Foundation is calling for people to pledge to end corporal punishment of children, in an Internet event to commemorate International Spank Out Day on April 30. National Spank Out Day originated in the US in 1998 to educate people about nonviolent parenting alternatives, but since 2001, other organizations outside the US have adopted the event. Foundation executive director Joanna Feng (馮喬蘭) yesterday said that Taiwan first observed the day in 2006, and in 2014 the government passed the Implementation Act of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (兒童權利公約施行法), based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. As of this month, more than 56 countries ban all forms of corporal punishment against children, she said, adding that the foundation hopes that Taiwan could move in such a direction. The foundation wants all children to grow up in a happy, safe environment, where they do not have to fear corporal punishment, she said. Due to COVID-19 prevention efforts, the foundation has substituted its original planned event with an online one. It is also holding a raffle for anyone who posts on the foundation’s Facebook page to show support for the movement. So far, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁); Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅), Fan Yun (范雲), Lee Li-fen (李麗芬) and Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟); and Control Yuan member Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) have shown their support by posting on the event’s Facebook page, the foundation said.
A machinist in Yilan County has built an automated pour-over coffee machine that can be operated wirelessly by a cellphone through Bluetooth. Yu Teh-yuan (游德源), 62, said he was motivated by his love for coffee to build the machine and that he left it at the Suao Township (蘇澳) community office for local residents to use. “How does this thing work?” Yu quoted one local resident as asking him, adding that many people gathered around the machine to see it when he first brought it to the office. Yu graduated from the National Taipei Institute of Technology (now the National Taipei University of Technology) and served as township warden for several years, during which he developed a taste for pour-over coffee. He once donated the proceeds he made from selling coffee to a Penghu County community center, where he volunteered with friends, Yu said. He was happy to help the center, which takes care of children with disabilities, but realized that making several cups of pour-over coffee by hand was a very tiring process, he said, adding that he got the idea to make an automatic pour-over coffee machine after he returned to Yilan. “I am always coming up with ideas for machines, but actually setting to work and building a machine is a difficult process,” he said. The machine took him about one year to design and build, and he made several revisions along the way, Yu said, adding that he often reordered the same component several times before finding the right size and specification for his machine. “If you count all the failed cups of coffee, I would say I have tested at least a few thousand cups,” he said. Using his phone, Yu can set the quantity of coffee he wishes to make, after which the beans are freshly ground and the water is poured.
‘UNFAIR’: Compensation for those working to prevent the spread of COVID-19 does not cover frontline workers such as radiologists and respiratory therapists, the unions said A coalition of three medical workers’ unions yesterday called on the government to clarify the details of bonuses given to those contributing to epidemic prevention, and to expand the scope of the bonuses. The coalition — made up of members of the Taipei Doctors’ Union, the Taipei City Hospital Labor Union and the Taiwan Society of Laboratory Medicine — made the comments at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Article 2 of the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Recovery (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例) stipulates that individuals and institutions demonstrating achievements in preventing the spread of COVID-19 should be given compensation by the appropriate government institution, according to the nature of their work. However, as it is currently worded the act does not cover some frontline medical workers, including radiologists and respiratory therapists, the coalition said. It is also worded in a manner that allows medical institutions to be rewarded financially, but they are not obligated to distribute the money to frontline workers, it said, adding that frontline workers are putting their lives at risk every day to fight the disease. The government should clarify how the bonuses are to be distributed, and include all frontline workers, it said. The Ministry of Health and Welfare in a press release on March 19 specified that the bonuses applied to those caring for COVID-19 patients in negative-pressure isolation rooms, intensive care units and hospital wards established specifically for the care of COVID-19 patients. The central government is handing out NT$10,000 bonuses to doctors and nurses working with COVID-19 patients — on a daily basis for doctors and on a per-shift basis for nurses, Taipei Doctors Union president Ellery Huang (黃致翰) said, citing the press release. However, a shortage of staff has meant that while some nurses are working eight hours straight, others are working
The Taipei City Government yesterday launched the nation’s first mask vending machines at the Xinyi District Health Center (信義健康中心). People will be able to purchase masks after inserting their National Health Insurance (NHI) cards. Starting today, people can buy the same number of masks — nine adult masks every 14 days or 10 children’s masks every 14 days — as they would at pharmacies or through the online mask preorder system at the center’s three vending machines. The Taipei Department of Information Technology said that the pilot project was launched in cooperation with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA), to enable people to easily buy masks in three simple steps: by inserting their NHI card, choosing the type of mask and paying. The vending machines would sell limited amounts of masks between 8:30am and 6:30pm on weekdays and 8:30am and 12pm on weekends, the department said, adding that 100 bundles of nine adult masks and 20 bundles of 10 children’s masks would be provided in each vending machine per day. People can pay with cash, mobile payment services Apple Pay, Google Pay, Line Pay and Jkos Pay, and EasyCard or iCash cards, it added. At the launch, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said that although the number of imported cases of COVID-19 has declined in the past few days and the number of confirmed cases per 1 million is 16 in Taiwan — lower than the global average of 230 — Taiwan must remain vigilant. “Keeping a safe social distance and wearing a mask are very important measures for us to keep on living a relatively normal life,” Chen said. The CECC apologizes to people for the impact disease prevention measures have had on their rights or economic benefits, he said, adding that
MAKING A STATEMENT: The ad in the ‘New York Times’ would ask the WHO director-general to ‘please stop oppressing Taiwan,’ organizers said An online fundraiser to pay for a full-page advertisement in the New York Times detailing Taiwan’s position amid controversy surrounding WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has raised NT$10.28 million (US$341,494) in less than nine hours, well over the NT$4 million it was seeking, fundraising platform zeczec.com said. Dubbed “A letter to the world, by Taiwanese,” the fundraiser was initiated by Taiwanese YouTuber Ray Du (都省瑞), graphic designer Aaron Nieh (聶永真) and others. The fundraiser’s organizers said that the advertisement would include a letter to Tedros, who told a media briefing on Wednesday that he had been the victim of racially motivated attacks emanating out of Taiwan, amid global criticism of the WHO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Please stop oppressing Taiwan, which is reaching out to the world, and all other vulnerable people,” the letter reads. “The WHO should play the role of a fair judge in the face of the world’s doubts about China’s untruthful report of the domestic developments of COVID-19.” The organizers said that Tedros and the WHO had been sending confusing messages amid the pandemic. “The world is extremely confused about you and the organization you serve, and Taiwan is as confused,” the letter reads. “Perhaps, the organization is rather slow in suppressing the pandemic, but if you can insist on communicating the truth, you can stop the proliferation of disinformation.” Meanwhile, people have been wading into the fray online. Under the hashtag #ThisAttackComesFromTaiwan, many have posted pictures of Taiwan’s scenery and food, making fun of the word “attack.” Separately, on a YouTube channel called “Stop Kiddin’ Studio,” which features the views of foreign nationals in Taiwan, a video clip shows Taiwan’s efforts to combat the coronavirus, saying that the bullying of Taiwanese must stop. “We are kind, but we ain’t soft,” the video says. “Dr T
The Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America has started a fundraising campaign to buy masks made in Taiwan for frontline workers in the US, it said. It aims to raise nearly US$2 million to buy 10 million masks from Taiwan at NT$6 per mask, chamber honorary director Yang Hsin (楊信) said on Wednesday. Yang has donated US$500,000 to the campaign and chamber director Wang Chun-yu (汪俊宇) has donated US$50,000. Wang said that he hopes to spur donations from other Taiwanese businesspeople in the US. Organizations representing Taiwanese in the US and Canada have already been purchasing local supplies and donating them to frontline workers, he said. Now that Taiwan has increased its mask production capacity, the chamber said that it hopes to buy masks made in Taiwan to help those working in US hospitals, police and fire departments, long-term care facilities, and charity organizations, who are at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19, he said. It plans to create a working group focused on fundraising, he said, adding that the group’s handling of donations would be transparent. Taiwanese organizations in Thailand and Vietnam, among others, have donated money and medical supplies to frontline workers in those nations, he said. The shared spirit of Taiwanese businesspeople abroad is one of identifying with local people and helping them, he added. Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興) thanked the group and said that he “looked forward to seeing it” reach its fundraising goal. When it is ready to purchase masks, the council would communicate with the Central Epidemic Command Center and other relevant government bodies to help it do so, he said. In other developments Italian priest Father Giuseppe Didone, who received nearly NT$150 million (US$4.98 million) in donations from Taiwanese to help Italy fight COVID-19, on Friday said that if there is money left over it could be sent
The huge cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is upending Japan’s seven-year experiment to rescue the economy from its debt time bomb, as recession fears prompt calls for “helicopter money” — unlimited spending bankrolled by the central bank. Days after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe launched a nearly US$1 trillion stimulus package to battle the pandemic’s financial fallout, some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are calling for even bigger spending. Already, the government plans to boost bond issuance to a five-year high of ￥147 trillion (US$1.36 trillion), or 30 percent of the size of Japan’s economy, to pay for the stimulus. However, even as global governments and central banks pull out all the stops to reduce the economic fallout, Japan is a grim reminder that a debt time bomb might be inescapable. Japan could issue even more debt, as Japanese Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Yasutoshi Nishimura has said that the latest package would not be the last if growth remains in danger. The missed opportunity to fix Japan’s finances might squeeze spending for the younger generation and constrain the country’s options for supporting one of the world’s fastest-aging populations. It also marks a death knell for Abe’s fiscal policy, which relied on higher tax revenue backed by strong economic growth — instead of painful spending cuts — to restore Japan’s fiscal health, analysts said. “Abenomics has kept the economy in good shape for quite a long time,” former Bank of Japan (BOJ) board member Takahide Kiuchi said, pointing to Abe’s stimulus policies, launched in late 2012, to pull the country out of deflation. “If that time had been spent fixing Japan’s finances, the government would have had more scope to boost spending without relying excessively on debt issuance,” Kiuchi said. “The government and the BOJ were complacent. They’re responsible for this mess.” Abe was
The Champagne corks no longer pop at Dubai’s infamous alcohol-soaked brunches, the blaring flat-screen TVs stand silent in the sheikhdom’s sports bars and the city-state’s pubs have shrink-wrapped their now-idle beer taps. The skyscraper-studded desert metropolis on the Arabian Peninsula has long been one of the wettest places in the Middle East in terms of alcohol consumption, its bars and licensed restaurants serving tourists, travelers and its vast population of foreign workers. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic, that is. With the virus now threatening a crucial source of tax and general revenue for its rulers, Dubai’s two major alcohol distributors have partnered to offer home delivery of beer, spirits and wine, yet another loosening of social mores in the Muslim city-state. “Luxury hotels and bars have been the worse-impacted within the sector and this had a direct impact on the alcohol consumption ... in the United Arab Emirates,” said Rabia Yasmeen, an analyst for market research firm Euromonitor International. Maritime and Mercantile International LLC (MMI), a subsidiary of government-owned airline Emirates, and African & Eastern partnered to create a Web site offering home delivery. Its products range from a US$530 bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila to a US$4.30 bottle of Indian blended whiskey, with beers and wines in between. Their Web site, legalhomedelivery.com, a nod toward the online bootleggers long operating in the gray margins of Dubai, describes the service as needed “in these unprecedented times.” The few remaining tourists can use their passports to buy alcohol. However, residents need an alcohol license, a red plastic card issued by Dubai police that requires annual renewal. Only non-Muslims aged 21 and older can apply for a license — although bartenders in the city rarely check for them before pouring drinks. Text message alerts give imbibers a predicted delivery time within a few hours, although a crew showed
Shuttered bars, canceled concerts and no sporting matches: European beer brewers large and small are bracing for a catastrophic summer as demand dries up during lockdowns imposed to curtail the COVID-19 outbreak. “When it’s nice out, that’s when you sell beer,” said Maxime Costilhes, head of the French brewers’ association, adding that many have little money left in the bank to cushion the blow after building up stocks over the winter. France might be known for its wine, but beer sales had been soaring in the past few years, spurred on in part by the craft brewing trend imported from the US. Even Europe’s dominant brewers are facing big hits from the absence of restaurant and bar sales, as well as the wave of canceled summer festivals, concert series and other events in the coming months. “The impact is expected to worsen in the second quarter,” said Dutch giant Heineken NV, which has already forecast a 2 percent drop by volume for the first three months of this year among its 165 breweries in about 70 countries. Germany’s biggest brewer, Radeberger Exportbierbrauerei GmbH, famed for its crisp pilsner, warned that supermarket purchases by people cooped up at home would not come close to compensating for the evaporation of bulk orders from professionals. “We’re assuming that the situation won’t show any real improvement in the coming weeks,” a spokeswoman told reporters. German officials are even considering calling off the biggest beer celebration of all, Munich’s annual Oktoberfest, which attracts millions of people from around the world. Clemens Baumgartner, the party’s organizer, said a decision would be made by June on whether to open as planned this year on Sept. 19. For Bruno Torres, who founded his microbrewery La Baleine in a gritty corner of northeast Paris a few years ago, the coronavirus crisis is nothing short of a “disaster.” His stainless
Aretha Franklin’s 1985 hit Who’s Zoomin’ Who? came to mind this week amid growing security concerns in Taiwan and around the world over the popular remote videoconferencing software created by Zoom Video Communications. While Franklin was wondering about who was checking out a potential date more, a man or a woman, the public and government authorities in many places want to know who can or has been checking out what is being said, or seen, in video and audio communications using the San Jose, California-based tech company’s app. Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Tuesday said that government agencies and state-run companies should not use Zoom’s products or other software that could pose a security risk, as the Executive Yuan sent out a letter reminding them to observe the Information and Communication Security Management Act (資通安全管理法). The Ministry of Education followed those warnings up by telling schools that Zoom was banned for distance learning, much as the New York City school system had done earlier. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday banned its staff using Zoom’s software, saying that its security and data protection shortcomings made it too much of a risk. The US Senate reportedly later told its members to find an alternative platform for remote work, while agencies and companies ranging from NASA to SpaceX and Google have banned the app either partially or completely over security concerns. The warnings and bans have crimped the tech start-up’s meteoric rise in the wake of lockdowns and travel bans as the COVID-19 outbreak turned into a pandemic that created an exponential need for videoconferencing and digital platforms by non-corporate users — including organizers of international policy meetings and the British Cabinet. The backlash follows reports by Citizenlab and other researchers that Zoom software transmits and receives encryption and decryption keys from a server in
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages around the world, China and the US have been directly or indirectly accusing each other of being its source — China has even accused Italy of starting it — and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has been praising China throughout the crisis, has faced a wave of criticism and calls for him to resign. China on Wednesday lifted the lockdown on Wuhan, where the virus was first reported, and is striding onto the international scene like a relief pitcher at a baseball game, wanting to turn this calamity to its advantage. The spread of the coronavirus has taken off in Europe and the US, which are trying to cope with worse outbreaks than what happened in China. This has provided a heaven-sent opportunity for China to exert its “grand overseas propaganda,” even though most countries and their citizens do not believe Beijing’s official statements about China’s outbreak or the figures it gives for people confirmed infected or dead. This clash between China and the US seems to be more than a war of words. On March 24, EU High Representative and European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell issued a statement about the pandemic, in which he said: “There is a global battle of narratives going on... China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, it is a responsible and reliable partner.” China is dispensing foreign aid to dilute its negative image as the virus’ source and getting a head start on the restructuring of international power that is to take place in the “post-COVID era.” The EU, the US, Japan and other countries can see what China is up to. On March 18, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump intends to nominate US Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir, head of the Public
The COVID-19 pandemic is so severe that it has affected not only people’s daily lives, but also normal business operations. With shareholders’ meetings on the horizon, the public and private sectors have become uneasy. The Company Act (公司法) stipulates that all companies limited by shares — including listed and over-the-counter firms — must hold an annual shareholders’ meeting that convenes within six months of the close of the fiscal year, meaning that most companies must hold shareholders’ meetings by June or face a fine. These meetings, which allow shareholders to examine records submitted by the board of directors and auditing conducted by the supervisors, are necessary for deciding by resolution the distribution of surplus earnings and plans to offset deficits. Without the meetings, how can shareholders decide these matters? Many investors are also eager to collect their stock dividends. For example, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co last year paid out more than NT$200 billion (US$6.63 billion) in cash dividends to its shareholders. These meetings are essential, but how to convene them amid the pandemic has become problematic. The act allows companies to hold shareholders’ meetings via videoconferencing, but that is not feasible for companies with publicly issued shares, which must hold face-to-face meetings. For a limited company with only 20 to 30 shareholders, it is perhaps feasible to convene the annual meeting at a large venue over a short time, with all of the shareholders wearing masks and practicing social distancing. However, it might be more complicated for listed or over-the-counter companies to do so, due to their relatively large number of shareholders. It is common for hundreds or even thousands of shareholders to take part in an annual meeting. Typically held at a closed venue, a meeting attended by an infected shareholder could have serious consequences due to human-to-human transmission. The authorities are hoping that shareholders can cast their
CLOSE-UP VIEW: Fans can watch the drivers and hear their reactions as they sit in simulators at their homes, as online feeds supplement the footage shown on TV About 1 million people have tuned in to watch professional racers play a video game on television in the US. The success of virtual racing over the past month has put motorsports out front in the race to create competition while sports is shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly every series now has regular virtual racing for its competitors and a lot of its on national television — and it is online for fans who prefer to watch that way. Drivers are gaining newfound fame, even sponsorship. “I think we are honestly still in the early stages of figuring out how to make this work as good as we can,” IndyCar driver Conor Daly said. “You have four different areas where your brand can build — Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter ... maybe I continue to develop a YouTube channel, who knows? There’s stuff that I think you’ll end up doing during this time that will no matter what help you in the long run, and that’s just what we’re trying to do is when we do go back to racing.” “Maybe we’ve built a bigger fan base, we’ve built a bigger brand for our sponsors and the people that do support us,” Daly said. All of which would be welcome news for motorsports, which has faded since its heyday amid attendance and sponsorship declines. For now, virtual racing will have to do. NASCAR pushed out its iRacing Series, which already had tremendous infrastructure from an existing league for serious gamers. There was a draft with real teams such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske selecting gamers to represent them. All NASCAR had to do was grab its product and swap the amateur racers with its stars and Fox Sports said it would broadcast the races. Viewership in two of the past
The Swiss Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPC) is to close one of two investigations into former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, reports said on Friday. French newspaper Le Monde and German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said that the 84-year-old will not be prosecuted over a charge relating to TV rights sold to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). That was one of two criminal cases opened against Blatter in 2015 for “suspicion of unfair management and breach of trust.” Blatter told reporters on Friday that he had “not personally received the document of the MPC. I will ask my lawyer to forward it to me. It relates to the contract over TV rights.” Swiss prosecutors suspected Blatter of having signed a “contract unfavorable to FIFA” with the CFU, then under the control of Jack Warner, who was banned from soccer for life and indicted for corruption by US justice officials. The contract granted television rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups to the CFU for US$600,000, an amount deemed to be below market price. Blatter still faces a second criminal investigation over the payment of 2 million Swiss francs (US$2.07 million) to then-UEFA president Michel Platini in February 2011. “Once the case concerning the payment of 2 million Swiss francs to Platini is also closed, I will ask FIFA for my rehabilitation ... because my suspension by the FIFA ethics committee was made on the basis of accusations by the Swiss justice,” Blatter said. Blatter was ousted from office in 2015 and is serving a six-year ban from FIFA activities. Platini was banned from soccer for four years by FIFA. Separately, a US judge in New York on Friday denied a request by the former head of South American soccer to be given compassionate release from prison because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but reserved judgement on his request for to be let out
Six members of Barcelona’s executive board have resigned amid a controversy regarding a company hired by the club that made negative comments on social media about some of the team’s own players. Barcelona denied any wrongdoing and said on Friday that the resignations were part of “an attempt to face the challenge of the final phase of the mandate” of club president Josep Bartomeu. In a statement published by Barcelona-based newspaper La Vanguardia, the six former board members said they “must underscore our disappointment caused by the unfortunate social media incident, known as ‘Barcagate,’ which we learned about through the media.” In February, Spain’s Cadena Ser radio network reported that a company hired by Barcelona used fake social media accounts to discredit opposition figures and even some of its players when they expressed views that went against the club. Cadena Ser said some of the figures included players Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique, former coach Pep Guardiola, as well as potential rivals of Bartomeu. Messi, the club’s all-time leading scorer, has clashed with sports director Eric Abidal this season. Barcelona denied the reports, saying that it had hired the company I3 Ventures to monitor social media traffic about the club. Later, it ordered an external probe by PriceWaterhouseCoopers consultants to determine the nature of the work carried out by the company. Following his resignation from the board, Emili Rousaud said he suspected that there might have been financial misdeeds involved in the payment of I3 Ventures. “The issue of the social media is dirty,” Rousaud told Catalan radio station RAC-1 on Friday. “I believe someone had his or her hand in the till, but I don’t know who, although I don’t think it was someone on the board.” Barcelona responded by saying “in the light of the serious and unfounded accusations made this morning by Mr Emili Rousaud... FC
Australia captain Tim Paine has dismissed the suggestion of his predecessor Michael Clarke that his players went soft on India skipper Virat Kohli in their 2018-2019 series for fear of losing lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) contracts. Kohli led India to their first Test series triumph in Australia on the tour, which came a few months after Steve Smith and David Warner were banned for their parts in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. Clarke told a local radio station this week that he thought Australian cricket, reeling from that scandal, had “sucked up” to India and that some players did not “sledge” the opposition because they wanted to play with them in the IPL. “I certainly didn’t notice too many people being that nice to Virat or not trying to get him out or anything like that,” Paine, who took over from Smith after Newlands and captained Australia throughout the India series, told ESPN Cricinfo. “I thought everyone who had the ball in their hand or when we were batting were trying their absolute best to win the game for Australia.” “I’m not sure who was going easy on him,” Paine said. “We certainly had a thing where we didn’t want to provoke any fight with him because we think that’s when he plays at his best.” “I certainly wasn’t holding back, but again the IPL’s not a huge draw for me at the moment, so I had nothing to lose, but any time our guys go out and play a Test match for Australia, they’ll be giving their absolute all and I’m pretty sure they’re not thinking about an IPL contract when they’re running in, bowling to Virat.” IPL contracts are extremely lucrative, with Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins becoming the most expensive overseas buy in December last year when the Kolkata Knight Riders paid US$2.18
DEFYING AN OUTBREAK: Although Hong Kong has banned gatherings of groups of more than four people, protests continue with a recent march to Carrie Lam’s home Hong Kong’s police force is showing signs of attrition with resignations increasing and recruitments declining as the territory deals with a COVID-19 outbreak after months of sometimes violent anti-government protests. From June last year, when the territory’s protests erupted against a China-backed extradition bill, to February a total of 446 police officers have quit the force, an increase of 38 percent from a year earlier. The police recruited 766 people in the period, down from 1,341 and far fewer than the target of more than 1,800. “I am one of the 446,” said Cathy Yau, who left the police after the protests began and was later elected as a district councilor. She said that although the resignations represent a small percentage of its total number of officers, they highlight the potential for a “manpower problem” if the causes are not addressed. The Hong Kong Security Bureau this week disclosed the data in a written reply to lawmakers in budget deliberations, adding that it included “resignations during training, early retirement, family and personal reasons.” The police press office said that it has been adopting a “proactive recruitment strategy to attract high-caliber candidates” and accepts applications all year round. “Recruitment varies every year depending on the overall social environment, such as economic and labor market needs,” the press office said in an e-mail. “The force will regularly review the recruitment strategy in light of the prevailing situation.” Police worldwide are resorting to special measures in the fight against COVID-19 — from drone patrols to enforcing social-distancing with long-handled giant pliers. Hong Kong officers, though, face a unique challenge as they battle the pandemic amid simmering social discontent, with protesters demanding, among other things, meaningful elections and an independent inquiry into police abuses. “An independent inquiry is a must,” Yau said. “Because of the protests, the popularity of the police has plunged.” Results
Yemen on Friday reported its first COVID-19 case in a southern government-controlled province, raising fears of an outbreak in the war-torn country, as air strikes blamed on the Saudi Arabian-led coalition tested a unilateral truce. The announcement came on the second day of the two-week ceasefire declared by the military coalition supporting the government in what it said was a move to help fight the pandemic. “The first confirmed case of coronavirus has been reported in Hadramawt province,” Yemen’s supreme national emergency committee for COVID-19 said on Twitter. The committee, run by the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, said that the infected person was in stable condition and receiving care. “The case is in isolation and treatment, all known contacts are being traced and quarantined,” the WHO said on Twitter. “WHO is working closely with [the health ministry] to ensure further rapid containment measures are taken.” Aid groups have warned that when the coronavirus hits Yemen’s broken healthcare system, the impact is likely to be catastrophic for a country already in the grip of what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. “What’s facing Yemen is frightening,” UN coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande said. “More people who become infected are likely to become severely ill than anywhere else,” she said. Yemen is “critically under-equipped” to face the pandemic, said Xavier Joubert, country director for Save the Children in Yemen. “Only half of Yemen’s health facilities are still fully functional,” Joubert said. “There are 700 intensive care unit beds, including 60 for children, and 500 ventilators for a population of about 30 million.” Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed over the past five years in the war between the coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control large parts of Yemen including the capital’s Sana’a. Millions have also been displaced and diseases, including cholera,
Thailand is trying a new tactic in its battle against COVID-19: banning the sale of alcoholic beverages to try to curb irresponsible socializing. With bars already ordered closed, a number of provinces, as well as the capital Bangkok, have taken things a step further and temporarily outlawed the sale of beer, wine and spirits. Bangkok’s ban, which started on Friday and runs until April 20, had the unintended effect of creating crowds and long lines at stores as people stocked up in the few hours between the ban’s announcement and its going into effect. Authorities have been concerned about the potential for partying during the upcoming Thai new year festival known as Songkran. It is Thailand’s biggest holiday and is notorious for merrymaking and drinking, which contributes to a spike in traffic deaths. The official holiday, which runs from Monday to Wednesday, has already been postponed and organized celebrations canceled because of the crowds they would attract. Thailand has confirmed more than 2,400 cases of the coronavirus and 33 deaths. At least initially, a number of the country’s virus cases were linked to parties at Bangkok nightspots. Most surveys put Thai alcohol consumption a bit above the global average, but far below the volumes of Eastern Europe. Unsurprisingly, distillers and brewers are critical of the booze bans. Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association president Thanakorn Kuptajit told the business newspaper Thansettakij that drinkers would find what they need in a less managed way, such as driving to areas where there are no bans or purchasing from smugglers, hoarders and underground producers. Several other countries have instituted bans on alcohol sales, either in selected areas or nationwide, to curb alcohol-fueled gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. They include Barbados, Botswana, Colombia, Greenland, Grenada, Mexico, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In South Africa and Greenland, officials specifically said that the ban was also imposed to try to
April 13 to April 19 In 1773, a Changhua man named Liao Chen-sheng (廖陳生) walked into his older brother having sex with his wife. He killed both of them with a sickle, beheaded them and took the heads to the authorities. Killing one’s older brother normally entailed a punishment of death by a thousand cuts, but the law back then granted clemency for husbands who catch their wife cheating — provided that he committed the murder on the spot. Taiwan under the Qing Empire had quite comprehensive laws regarding adultery. The general punishment was 90 lashes for both the man and woman, but people who found it too shameful or tedious to go to court would settle the matter privately — often in much more brutal ways. In addition, the husband had the right to divorce or sell the cheating wife. Over 200 years later, adultery is still a punishable offense in Taiwan. People have been calling for its decriminalization since the early 1990s, and after deeming the law constitutional in 2002, the Council of Grand Justices is expected to make another interpretation next month. BRUTAL PUNISHMENTS Not everyone who killed his wife’s lover during the Qing Dynasty got off as easily as Liao. Japanese anthropologist Kanori Ino mentions this provision in a compendium of Taiwanese customs published in 1901 — although his account included a test. First of all, the husband would have to get the heads of the wife and lover into the court — either by asking a vendor to smuggle it through the gates in their basket, or by bribing a guard. The two heads would be thrown in a bucket full of water, and if they ended up facing each other, that was proof of the affair. The husband would be rewarded
Women have warm hands, their periods alter their sense of taste and they can’t work long hours — just some of the claims from those in Japan who believe women can’t be sushi chefs. But a growing number of women in the country determined to shatter those myths are training and working as sushi chefs in some of Japan’s most revered restaurants and institutions. Mizuho Iwai is a trainee at the upscale Onodera restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza, a ritzy neighborhood home to some of the world’s top-ranked sushi restaurants. In an industry where women are still rarely seen, she knew she would be an anomaly. “I think there are a few [female] chefs but it’s rare. But I wanted to challenge things because of that,” the 33-year-old apprentice said. “I thought: this is my mission.” And at Onodera, she’s not totally alone, there was one other woman among the 10 apprentices training at the restaurant before it recently closed temporarily over the COVID-19 outbreak. All 10 of the restaurant’s chefs are men. The work can be grueling and requires years to master. Apprentices must learn everything from the names of different types of fish to removing scales and slicing properly. They are even instructed on how to correctly enter through the traditional drapes inside Onodera, by lifting and parting them with an elbow. “My colleagues have accepted me,” said Iwai, who decided to become a sushi chef after cooking in small Japanese restaurants. “They don’t treat me specially just because I’m a woman,” she added, after learning how to slice Japanese horse mackerel. “They teach me as a person.” ‘STRONG RESISTANCE’ TO WOMEN The world of washoku, or Japanese cuisine, has long been dominated by men, more so than Italian or French cuisine, according to Fumimasa Murakami, a 54-year-old teacher at Tokyo Sushi Academy, which was still running a scaled
COCKTAIL HOUR One of the nastier aspects of the pandemic is that it turns your friends and all that you do to show them affection — hug and kiss; share meals and drinks — into a deadly threat. And yet, in this appalling moment, we need our friends more than ever, and it is probably true that our immune systems do, too. Isolation is bad for a species addicted to social intercourse. My solution has been to start a cocktail hour on a video conferencing site, sending one or two friends every day an invitation to drinks in front of their laptop (or phone) at a time when we might normally meet in a pub or at each other’s homes. It’s surprising what a difference it can make to a day of isolation, and to your spirits in general, to see your friends’ faces in the evening and hear them talk and laugh. The scale of COVID-19 and what it’s doing to us is very worrying, but an hour with different friends every evening really helps reduce anxiety, and of course you can make much more effort than I do — dress up, light candles, provide nibbles (crisps make too much noise). Whatever joy is released when you see your pals in the flesh is also present in these video cocktails, and the beautiful thing is that for a small charge the host gets unlimited conference calls and guests pay nothing. Clearly, this can be expanded to talking to neighbors you may not know very well, or people you believe are really suffering from enforced isolation and loneliness. It may even be a good way of meeting people. Each participant might invite a person no one else knows. It’s certainly great for new mothers, book clubs, football supporters — anyone who is missing out on
Scientists have detected a mid-size black hole — considered the “missing link” in the understanding of these celestial brutes — eviscerating an unfortunate star that strayed too close. Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and two X-ray observatories, the researchers determined that this black hole is more than 50,000 times the mass of our sun and located 740 million light years from Earth in a dwarf galaxy, one containing far fewer stars than our Milky Way. Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects possessing gravitational pulls so powerful that not even light can escape. This is one of the few “intermediate-mass” black holes ever identified, being far smaller than the supermassive black holes that reside at the center of large galaxies but far larger than so-called stellar-mass black holes formed by the collapse of massive individual stars. “We confirmed that an object that we discovered originally back in 2010 is indeed an intermediate-mass black hole that ripped apart and swallowed a passing star,” said University of Toulouse astrophysicist Natalie Webb, a co-author of the study published this week in Astrophysical Journal Letters. The star was probably roughly a third the mass of the sun, Webb said. Webb said scientists have searched for intermediate-mass black holes for four decades and fewer than 10 good examples are known, though large numbers may exist. “So finding a new one is very significant. Also, a black hole swallowing a star happens on average only once every 10,000 years or so in any particular galaxy so these are rare occurrences,” Webb added. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way is 4 million times the mass of the sun and located 26,000 light years from Earth. The closest stellar-mass black star is about 6,000 light years from Earth. A light year is the distance
A: Qingming Festival would later become known as Tomb Sweeping Day. B: Why was that? A: Fifty years ago, it was decided the official tomb sweeping day would fall on Qingming, which was generally April 5. That’s why there’s such a mad rush on one day. B: It makes more sense to spread it out over a longer period, even when we aren’t dealing with a pandemic. A : 清明節後來又被稱為民族掃墓節。 B : 為什麼呢？ A : 五十年前，政府決定把官方的掃墓節訂於清明節，通常也就是四月五日。這也是為什麼大家趕著在那天掃墓。 B : 就算我們不用面對大規模疫情，把日期錯開還是比較有道理。 English 英文: Chinese 中文:
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| New Taipei City | 13-15 | 30% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 12-15 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu City | 13-16 | 20% | |
| Taipei City | 13-15 | 30% | |
| Miaoli County | 13-15 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 10-13 | 30% | |
| Keelung City | 13-15 | 30% | |
| Yunlin County | 17-21 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 18-21 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 18-21 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 18-20 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 18-22 | 0% | |
| Chiayi City | 19-23 | 0% | |
| Tainan City | 20-24 | 0% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 23-26 | 0% | |
| Pingtung County | 24-28 | 0% | |
| Yilan County | 14-17 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 18-21 | 20% |  |
| Taitung County | 20-23 | 90% |  |
| Kinmen County | 17-21 | 0% | |
| Penghu County | 19-21 | 0% | |
| Lienchiang County | 15-17 | 0% | |
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