The Taipei and New Taipei City governments are in talks with a number of hotels with a view to them becoming “quarantine hotels” housing those required to undergo quarantine, as the four hotels in the program are fully booked following the introduction of new border controls implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said the city’s three existing “quarantine hotels” are fully booked and the government is in talks with other hotel operators to encourage them to join the initiative.
The New Taipei City Government said that its “quarantine hotel” is also fully booked and it is looking to sign contracts with more hotels to meet increased demand.
The two cities said the rising demand was due to the government’s announcement that, starting on Thursday, all incoming passengers, whether Taiwanese or foreign nationals, would be required to remain in quarantine for 14 days, regardless of where they arrive from, as part of disease-prevention efforts.
Residents who are required to undergo quarantine are encouraged to do so at home, the New Taipei City Government said in a statement on Thursday.
If individuals are concerned that staying at home could expose their family members to the risk of infection, both governments said that they would offer subsidies and discounts to family members who stay at a hotel during the 14-day quarantine period.
Taipei is offering a maximum NT$7,000 subsidy for family members who stay at a hotel, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) has said.
The New Taipei City Government said it would ask hotels to offer families a 50 to 70 percent discount if a family member is under compulsory quarantine.
The two cities last month initiated a “quarantine hotel” project to house individuals who are required to undergo quarantine, but do not have a place to stay or who do not want to stay in their own home.
Operators who wish their establishment to become a “quarantine hotel” have to pass screenings by the local health authority.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
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The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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