Anxiety about COVID-19 is changing the habits of people in Taiwan, in their daily lives and their consumer behavior.
Shopping is increasingly being done online.
Elderly and retired people and housewives are reluctant to go out, so they just stay at home and watch television, but the television keeps repeating news about the global pandemic, and the more a person watches, the more anxious they feel.
Wondering whether they are experiencing the telltale symptoms of infection, or imagining that they are, they want to go and see a doctor, but at the same time they are afraid to visit a hospital.
They want to go out, but worry about visiting crowded places.
As time goes by, they start to suffer from depression or anxiety. As well as giving themselves a hard time, they might have a negative effect on other people.
Experts do not expect COVID-19 to disappear in a short time. People need to know how to respond, so here are a few ideas:
First, normal consumer behavior must go on, but people must pay attention to their personal health and safety.
For example, people should wash their hands after touching things that are used by everyone.
It is advisable to wear a mask on public transport and in closed spaces. It also does people good to get plenty of sunshine and walk around in open spaces.
Second, with the growth in online shopping, consumers should avoid being fooled by exaggerated and untruthful advertisements or falling into other traps.
People must beware of falling for rumors and disinformation, such as advertising claiming that quack remedies can boost immunity.
Third, if a person falls ill, they should still go and see a doctor, but it is best to first visit a regular and trusted local clinician rather than going straight to a hospital.
This is a good opportunity for people to get into the good habit of visiting a clinic for minor ailments and not going to a hospital unless they have a serious illness.
Fourth, the best source of accurate information about the pandemic is the Central Epidemic Command Center, with its daily news conferences, but there is no need to sit in front of the TV all day watching repeat broadcasts.
It would be better to watch a variety of programs about culture, art, sport and so on. It would also be better for TV channels not to keep showing repeats of COVID-19 news items.
Apart from essential virus-related information, they should show more uplifting programs that help viewers improve their quality of life.
Fifth, the government could do something to alleviate people’s anxiety about crowds.
Government departments have developed map applications that show where people can buy face masks and the stock available, so they should be able to provide similar real-time information about how crowded places such as markets, bulk suppliers, supermarkets, restaurants and temples are, to help consumers decide when and where to go shopping.
Sixth, religious organizations should think about setting up reassurance hotlines or using their channels to broadcast programs that help set people’s minds at ease.
Let us hope that government guidance and public cooperation will allow Taiwan to successfully guard against the novel coronavirus and stop it from spreading, and, with support from consumers, reduce the disease’s effect on the consumer market.
Lee Shen-yi is honorary chairman of the Consumers’ Foundation.
Translated by Julian Clegg
In an article published in Newsweek on Monday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) challenged China to retake territories it lost to Russia in the 19th century rather than invade Taiwan. “If it is really for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China take back Russia?” Lai asked, referring to territories lost in 1858 and 1860. The territories once made up the two flanks of northern Manchuria. Once ceded to Russia, they became part of the Russian far east. Claims since then have been made that China and Russia settled the disputes in the 1990s through the 2000s and that “China
Because much of what former US president Donald Trump says is unhinged and histrionic, it is tempting to dismiss all of it as bunk. Yet the potential future president has a populist knack for sounding alarums that resonate with the zeitgeist — for example, with growing anxiety about World War III and nuclear Armageddon. “We’re a failing nation,” Trump ranted during his US presidential debate against US Vice President Kamala Harris in one particularly meandering answer (the one that also recycled urban myths about immigrants eating cats). “And what, what’s going on here, you’re going to end up in World War
Trips to the Kenting Peninsula in Pingtung County have dredged up a lot of public debate and furor, with many complaints about how expensive and unreasonable lodging is. Some people even call it a tourist “butchering ground.” Many local business owners stake claims to beach areas by setting up parasols and driving away people who do not rent them. The managing authority for the area — Kenting National Park — has long ignored the issue. Ultimately, this has affected the willingness of domestic travelers to go there, causing tourist numbers to plummet. In 2008, Taiwan opened the door to Chinese tourists and in
On Tuesday, President William Lai (賴清德) met with a delegation from the Hoover Institution, a think tank based at Stanford University in California, to discuss strengthening US-Taiwan relations and enhancing peace and stability in the region. The delegation was led by James Ellis Jr, co-chair of the institution’s Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region project and former commander of the US Strategic Command. It also included former Australian minister for foreign affairs Marise Payne, influential US academics and other former policymakers. Think tank diplomacy is an important component of Taiwan’s efforts to maintain high-level dialogue with other nations with which it does
RSS