As the last day of the year, the century and the millennium comes to an end tonight, thoughts are bound to turn to what effects the much-hyped Y2K bug will bring after the stroke of midnight.
Though billions of dollars have been spent by way of preparation by individuals, companies and governments the world over, uncertainy will no doubt remain as to whether enough has been done to avoid the bug's adverse impact on lives and livelihoods.
Taiwanese officials in both the private and public sectors have been sounding a confident, though cautious, note in the run-up to tonight. A number of local and international flights have been canceled, the Central Bank of China has NT$900 billion in cash at the ready to deal with any possible mass withdrawals from the banking system, the China Petroleum Company has 10 extra days' supply of fuel on hand, the defense ministry has completed examination and testing of all military equipment and the nation's 252 hospitals are required by the Department of Health to report on their situation 30 minutes after the calendar rolls over.
The Cabinet has set up a special task force headed by Ministers without Portfolio Yang Shih-chien (
Public complaint hotlines have been established and emergency response manuals have been made available to the public. A Y2K information and response center will officially start operating today, and will run through to Jan. 4.
"The Cabinet has already completed all preparatory work and we call on the public to be alert and well-prepared," said Wan Chen-ou (
Wan offered some last-minute tips yesterday on what individuals may want to do for themselves to prepare for the changeover.
For instance, he said, it is important to have sufficient cash available for basic necessities as ATM machines will be closed for 12 hours starting at 8pm, while it would be a good idea to take the time to get paper records from banks and other institutions for financial transactions conducted in the month of December.
For the home, Wan suggested preparing emergency lighting equipment, keeping handy battery-powered telephones and radios, as well as extra cell phone batteries and preparing a basic first aid kit.
Wan also recommended avoiding long-distance travel if possible. If absolutely necessary, however, he suggested travelers check whether their insurance covers damages caused by Y2K-related accidents.
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