Organizations and troupes wanting to book one of the more than 1,400 city-run public facilities in Taipei would be offered a 50 percent discount on venue fees over the next six months, as of Sunday, and outdoor spaces on school campuses would reopen to the public on June 13, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.
“The city hopes the move would encourage art and cultural exhibitions and performances, as well as community activities,” Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) told a news conference, adding that the offer would be good through Dec. 6.
The decision to reopen school campuses to the public had been made after discussions on Tuesday with the Taipei Department of Education officials, schools and parents, she said.
The original plan was to reopen campuses after summer vacation starts on July 15, but as the local COVID-19 situation is under control and the plum rain season is over, many residents have said they would like to exercise or take walks on campuses, especially in the evenings, Taipei Department of Education Chief Secretary Chen Su-hui (陳素慧) said.
So the decision was made to open the campuses starting on the first Saturday after the central government loosens its COVID-19 prevention regulations, she said.
As campus auditoriums or recreational centers are often rented for graduation ceremonies or other events, they would be made available if organizers can ensure that social distancing and real-name or contact registration would be enforced, no meal sharing and the areas would be disinfected before and after use, Chen said.
On July 15, 218 of the 236 Taipei municipal schools’ campuses would be opened to the public as before; some are to remain closed because they do not have sports fields or are a school for girls, she said.
Asked if the city government would offer any promotions in connection with the Executive Yuan’s “Triplicate Stimulus Coupons” launch next month, Huang said since details of the program were only announced on Tuesday, city officials need to discuss the issue.
The Taipei Department of Economic Development was expected draft plans next week, she said.
This summer might be the first time that Taiwanese students cannot travel abroad during their vacations, which could boost domestic tourism, so the city hopes to attract Taipei residents to make purchases in the city and people from outside the capital to visit, Huang said.
She was planning to use her coupons with her EasyCard, as it is one of the most convenient digital payment systems, but everyone has their own preferences and having choices is a good thing, she said.
Joking with reporters, Huang said that she hoped that everyone would engage in some “revenge spending” to release any pent-up stress caused by the pandemic.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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