Lawmakers on Wednesday called on the government to include the food service, hospitality, transportation and entertainment industries in its latest “Stimulus 4.0” COVID-19 relief package. Workers in uninsured industries are bearing the brunt of nationwide level 3 restrictions, Taiwan People’s Party caucus convener Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠), Independent Taipei City Councilor Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) and others told an online news conference.
Although the Taipei Department of Social Welfare is accepting applications for emergency relief, it has not yet created any programs or allocated funding for pandemic aid, leaving the city’s underprivileged “high and dry,” Chen said.
Arts and culture industry workers also held an online news conference on Wednesday, saying that work has stalled for most people in the industry.
“The situation is worse than in 2020 and we urge the government to acknowledge this,” Taipei Film and Drama Union director-general Liao Hung-jui (廖浤睿) said.
The Executive Yuan on May 13 approved a draft bill to increase the scope of the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), with the Legislative Yuan expected to approve it on Monday. Under the proposed amendment, the relief budget is to be increased from NT$420 billion to NT$630 billion (US$15.1 billion to US$22.7 billion), and extended to June 30 next year.
Perhaps the most important target of the act when it was introduced last year was the airline industry, which had been reeling from international travel restrictions. Many businesses, especially tourism, shifted their focus to domestic demand. However, as a local outbreak this month escalates, companies will need to adjust their business models once more.
A bolstered relief fund is welcome news, but the money will have to be used in a well-planned manner to be effective. Some businesses might need funding to upgrade equipment for staff to work from home, while others might need a subsidized revenue stream to keep employees on the payroll. Additionally, furloughed workers might need assistance until they can return to employment. There is also the issue of how to transition to new business or study models for companies and schools — an issue that would require assistance or training for some.
The government could address these two issues — how to distribute funds and how to help businesses and schools transition — by forming an ad hoc committee, which could deliberate on the issues and update the public through a Web site, mobile app, or by phone through a hotline.
The Ministry of Education should establish standards for distance learning that public and private schools would be required to adhere to throughout the pandemic. This would ensure equal access to distance learning. Part of the relief act could be used to pay for laptops or tablets, and Internet connections for underprivileged families.
On Friday last week, a teacher at Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School became an Internet sensation after he was found using 17Live, a livestreaming app previously known for pornographic content, to teach his students remotely. While that was creative, it also speaks to a lack of standards in place for distance learning. Also, on Wednesday last week, Taipei CooC-Cloud (台北酷課雲), the city-government-approved digital learning platform, crashed due to a surge in traffic. The relief funds could be used to improve its infrastructure.
Meanwhile, those in the creative industries might need help or equipment to connect with each other and their audience remotely, or equipment to create their content from home during the heightened pandemic alert level — particularly if the outbreak worsens and a lockdown is implemented.
Increased relief funds are a positive development, but that should be accompanied by good planning and assistance to those who most need it — including consultations on how to transition work or learning to an online model.
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