Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday announced the relaxing of customer flow restrictions at the city’s public markets, and said that people do not have to wear masks if they maintain social distancing.
The central government has not given any instructions for public markets, but if public transport restrictions can be loosened when proper social distancing is maintained, “then we can also cancel the foot traffic restrictions at public markets,” Huang said at the city’s COVID-19 prevention news conference.
“However, just as with public transportation, we still suggest that people wear a mask when visiting public markets,” she said.
Photo: Shen Pei-yao, Taipei Times
“If you can keep a proper social distance and consider the conditions safe, you do not have to wear a mask all the time,” she said.
The decision was made on Monday at the city’s COVID-19 response task force meeting, she added.
However, as vendors meet many strangers every day, they are required to continue wearing masks in the markets, just as public transportation workers and city government staff do.
Taipei City Hall visitors are no longer required to wear masks, but the city government encourages them and city government employees to still wear masks when taking the elevator or when in narrow or crowded spaces, Huang said.
Huang also promoted Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Corp’s (TAPMC) online shopping platform, which was launched this year.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has two main requirements for TAPMC: It must enforce a “real-name registration system,” so that all agricultural products can be traced back to the farmer, who is responsible for their quality, and it must implement random pesticide residue inspections, she said.
TAPMC’s online shopping and delivery platform allows people to purchase good quality agricultural products, without having to travel to markets, she said.
Separately, when asked about the annual Taipei-Shanghai forum in an online interview, Huang said that it is unlikely that people in China would enter Taiwan due to COVID-19 border controls.
Whether the forum could be held through videoconferencing is still being discussed, she added.
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