The General Chamber of Commerce (GCC, 全國商總) yesterday called on the government to provide quick relief for the tourism and hospitality sectors, whose business has plunged over the past two months due to a spike in domestic COVID-19 infections.
The situation is much worse than during the level 3 COVID-19 alert from May to July last year, when the government lent financial support to hard-hit sectors, GCC chairman Paul Hsu (許舒博) said.
“Restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, exhibition facilities and tour bus companies are taking another blow as the daily number of new COVID-19 cases climbs steeply,” Hsu said.
Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei Times
Although the government has refrained from tightening disease prevention measures in an effort to learn to live with COVID-19, most people are voluntarily staying home to avoid infection, he added.
Business at travel agencies and tour bus companies virtually came to a halt after health authorities last month required people to receive three vaccine doses before taking part in group tours, Hsu said.
Restaurants have again turned to offering takeout after business from dining in plummeted 40 to 70 percent, he said, adding that takeout is accounting for up to 70 percent of restaurants’ revenue.
Hotels have been faring just as poorly, with occupancy rates on average falling 50 to 60 percent, Hsu said, adding that the pace of retreat has reached 80 to 90 percent for facilities in popular tourist locations.
Quarantine hotels have said that they are also suffering since people were allowed to quarantine at home and government subsidies stopped, he said.
Hard-hit businesses had no choice but to introduce unpaid leave, Hsu said, adding that they might be forced to shutter if the government remains on the sidelines.
As of Monday, 2,369 companies had implemented unpaid leave, affecting 15,013 workers, government data showed.
The number of furloughed workers is likely to climb, as yesterday’s tally of new cases surpassed 85,000 and the number will only gain momentum until it peaks, health officials said.
The government should offer timely assistance to businesses and individuals reliant on domestic consumption, so they can survive as Taiwan lives with COVID-19, he said.
The government should offer wage subsidies, loan extensions and other relief for tourism-related businesses and those who are self-employed, as it did in 2020 and last year, he said.
The chamber is conducting a survey of businesses and people in need, which it would submit to the government next month as a reference for policymaking, he said.
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