The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Friday said that businesses and large commercial venues that attract crowds can require customers and ticketholders to wear a mask, depending on the type of activity and the risk of transmission.
When large numbers of people are at department stores, hotels, gyms, indoor playgrounds, movie theaters and other large commercial settings for extended periods, close contact would raise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, so it recommends that appropriate protective measures be taken, the center’s new guidelines state.
Such settings should step up communication with people with chronic pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease or other such ailments; people with hemoglobinopathy or other disorders that affect their red blood cells; people with immunodeficiencies that require long-term treatment; pregnant women; and people with a weak immune system, and ask them to avoid going to crowded places during the outbreak, the guidelines state.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Such places should clean and disinfect their spaces, especially surfaces that are frequently touched such as elevator buttons, escalator handrails and exercise and playground equipment, as well as bathroom surfaces such as faucets, handles and toilet seats, the guidelines state.
They should maintain good ventilation and try to keep a distance of at least 1m between facilities or seat people apart and limit the number of people who can enter to ensure that the space is not overcrowded, the guidelines state.
The guidelines also suggest posters be placed at entrances or ticket offices reminding people to wash their hands and of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
Businesses and venues should arrange for employees take customer’s temperatures and assess their symptoms and persuade those with fevers or respiratory symptoms not to enter, and to refund their tickets, the guidelines state.
They should set a plan for monitoring employees’ health and prepare a supply of gloves and masks to respond to a situation where an employee or customer feels ill, including establishing spaces that could be used as quarantine or resting areas, the guidelines state.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS