Twenty-eight fitness centers in Taipei failed inspection standards, most of which were due to facility and safety management deficiencies, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.
Officials from the Taipei Department of Legal Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection and the Fire Department inspected 158 public and private fitness centers from May to October, legal department officials told a news conference in Taipei.
Of the 28 gyms that failed the examinations, 21 did not meet facility and safety management standards, while the indoor carbon dioxide concentrations at two gyms exceeded legal standards, Taipei Consumer Protection Officer Kung Chien-ya (龔千雅) said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Legal Affairs.
After improving carbon dioxide levels indoors, the two gyms passed a reinspection, the environmental department said, adding that poor ventilation inside a facility usually causes carbon dioxide to accumulate, which is a health hazard.
As for hygiene, location and personnel management standards, all the gyms passed the inspection, Kung said.
Those failing inspections are required to make improvement, and 14 gyms were awaiting a second round of inspections as of yesterday, she said.
The private gyms among the 14 need an additional review due to flawed membership contracts and a failure to report public security information, while public sports centers in Wanhua (萬華), Beitou (北投) and Songshan (松山) districts are also on the list, she said.
The legal department said that as of Monday, 238 gym-related customer complaints had been filed this year.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference