Large restaurants must install air filtration systems starting on July 1, the Environmental Protection Administration said on Sunday.
The new rules apply to restaurants of 1,000 ping (3,306m2) or more, or which have a seating capacity of 300 or more, the administration said, adding that it would affect 1,600 restaurants nationwide.
Restaurant owners must install the filtration systems by Feb. 1 next year, it said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Government’s Department of Environmental Protection
The agency regularly handles complaints regarding restaurants that have poor ventilation, it said, adding that it drafted the law after consulting local governments.
“We are primarily focused on hotel restaurants, kitchens that serve conference halls, eateries in department stores and school cafeterias,” it said, adding that larger independent restaurants would also fall under the new rules.
In the special municipalities, district authorities would enforce the new rules, given the density of the cities, it said, adding that Taipei and New Taipei City would have their own special regulations.
Taipei would also require filtration systems in barbecue restaurants, restaurants with registered capital of NT$100,000 or more and those with a floor space of 100 ping or more.
New Taipei City would apply the law to barbecue restaurants, chain restaurants and those with a floor space of 100 ping or more.
Restaurants would need to have air collection and filtration systems installed within a specified distance from stoves and grills, the administration said.
Top-mounted and side-mounted exhaust hoods would need to operate at an air-collection speed of 0.5 meters per second and three meters per second, respectively, it added.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and