All train and intercity bus passengers must wear a mask and have their temperature checked either at a station or aboard, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
Masks must also be worn at highway rest stops, Lin said.
The Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSR) has installed thermal imaging cameras at the entrances to all its 12 stations, and the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) has installed them at its 239 stations, the THSR and TRA said in separate statements.
Photo: Ho Cheng-hsu, Taipei Times
Temperatures are to be checked when entering any Chunghwa Post Co offices and masks must be worn, the company said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday proposed a relief package for drivers of taxi and tour buses that would allow drivers to apply for a monthly subsidy of NT$10,000 (US$330.50) for up to three months.
The package, intended to provide relief to drivers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, would cost an estimated NT$3.45 billion, the ministry said.
It has the support of the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan, but would not be finalized until a detailed report is made by the Directorate-General of Highways and approved by the Executive Yuan, the ministry said.
Lin has been communicating with the Presidential Office and Executive Yuan to secure the funding, the ministry said.
There are an estimated 16,000 tour bus drivers and 100,000 taxi drivers nationwide who would be eligible for the subsidies, it said.
A separate subsidy package recently implemented by the ministry provides taxi drivers with a NT$2,000 monthly stipend for fuel for up to six months, and a subsidy of up to NT$74,000 for tour bus drivers to cover fuel costs, reduced licensing fees and interest relief for bus loans.
Bus drivers can also apply for up to NT$110,000 to cover driver training courses under that package.
Vice president-elect William Lai (賴清德), a former premier, wrote on Facebook that he has been in touch with Lin in the past few days, and he thought that taxi drivers should have more than a NT$2,000 monthly fuel stipend, because they have been greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has asked the Executive Yuan to discuss the issue, and it was expected to make an announcement soon, he wrote.
Additional reporting by Ho Yu-hua
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