The Taipei City Government yesterday launched the nation’s first mask vending machines at the Xinyi District Health Center (信義健康中心). People will be able to purchase masks after inserting their National Health Insurance (NHI) cards.
Starting today, people can buy the same number of masks — nine adult masks every 14 days or 10 children’s masks every 14 days — as they would at pharmacies or through the online mask preorder system at the center’s three vending machines.
The Taipei Department of Information Technology said that the pilot project was launched in cooperation with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA), to enable people to easily buy masks in three simple steps: by inserting their NHI card, choosing the type of mask and paying.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The vending machines would sell limited amounts of masks between 8:30am and 6:30pm on weekdays and 8:30am and 12pm on weekends, the department said, adding that 100 bundles of nine adult masks and 20 bundles of 10 children’s masks would be provided in each vending machine per day.
People can pay with cash, mobile payment services Apple Pay, Google Pay, Line Pay and Jkos Pay, and EasyCard or iCash cards, it added.
At the launch, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC, said that although the number of imported cases of COVID-19 has declined in the past few days and the number of confirmed cases per 1 million is 16 in Taiwan — lower than the global average of 230 — Taiwan must remain vigilant.
“Keeping a safe social distance and wearing a mask are very important measures for us to keep on living a relatively normal life,” Chen said.
The CECC apologizes to people for the impact disease prevention measures have had on their rights or economic benefits, he said, adding that the central and local governments must all cooperate to protect Taiwan.
Chen said that many pharmacies are under a lot of pressure because of having to sell large amounts of masks every day and many people are still lining up for them, so he is glad to see the launch of the vending machines, which would improve efficiency and reduce the risk of exposure to other people.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that very few domestic cases have been reported because most people know to wear a mask for disease prevention, adding that “wearing a mask, washing hands and social distancing” are the most important measures that people can take to protect themselves.
As masks are an important disease prevention resource, he supports how the government has controlled mask distribution, but he does not like people lining up for them, so he asked Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) to discuss launching mask vending machines with the NHIA.
The CECC should consider allowing people to buy 18 masks per month if there is enough stock, he added.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS