Most local governments yesterday said that their New Year’s Eve events would go ahead as planned, despite the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) slightly tightening disease prevention rules governing large gatherings after the first domestic COVID-19 case in Taiwan since April was reported on Tuesday.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said on Tuesday evening that the government had yet to elevate the disease prevention alert level.
While local governments can continue to hold New Year’s Eve events as scheduled, they must first stipulate an enforceable disease prevention plan to avoid cluster infections, he said.
Photo: CNA
Apart from people who are ordered to undergo home isolation or home quarantine, those who must conduct self-health management are also banned from attending large gatherings, Chen said.
Event organizers must not sell or provide food at event venues, and must have all participants sign health declaration forms, he said.
The tightened regulations have not appeared to deter local government officials, with most of them saying that they have no plans to cancel New Year’s Eve celebrations.
However, they promised to thoroughly enforce disease prevention measures as outlined by the CECC.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that the city is inclined to hold its New Year’s Eve events, adding that it still has seven days to make the necessary adjustments.
Taipei 101 said that it would not cancel its annual firework display on New Year’s Eve.
However, there would be no food or beverage vendors at a New Year’s Eve warmup event in Taipei’s Tianmu (天母) this weekend, the city said.
The New Taipei City Government announced that all outdoor gatherings at its annual Christmasland event would be canceled.
The Tourism Bureau’s Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area would is also canceling its sunrise watching event on Friday next week.
The Taoyuan City Council yesterday said that it has no plans to cancel six concerts by the band May Day (五月天), New Year’s Eve celebrations, a flag-raising ceremony on Friday next week or the season openers for the P.League+, the nation’s new professional basketball league, on Saturday and Sunday next week.
However, the city would cap the participants attending New Year’s Eve celebrations, it said.
The Taitung County Government said that pop diva A-mei’s (阿妹) New Year’s Eve concert would be held as scheduled.
The city and county governments in Yilan said that they have no plans to cancel their New Year’s Eve events, or those during the New Year holiday.
Hualien’s New Year’s Countdown Party would also take place as scheduled, the Hualien County Government said.
Hsinchu City Government officials said that they are considering whether to cancel a Christmas concert tomorrow and a flag-raising ceremony at the city hall plaza on Friday next week.
The Hsinchu County Government said that it would follow the criteria set by the CECC in determining whether to cancel its New Year’s Eve concert — if the nation reports more than 10 local COVID-19 cases with unidentified sources of infection in one day or more than three cluster infections within a week.
Taichung’s New Year Eve concert would go ahead, but the city and county governments in Changhua said that they are still deliberating whether to cancel their New Year’s Eve concerts and other events.
The Nantou, Yulin and Chiayi County governments, and the Chiayi City Government, said that their New Year’s Eve events are still on.
Officials in Tainan and Pingtung County said that they are monitoring further announcements from the CECC and would respond accordingly.
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