The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday called on the government to expand COVID-19 relief measures for restaurants, while industry representatives suggested rent subsidies and reduced electricity bills.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) told an online news conference that the Executive Yuan’s latest COVID-19 relief package — or “Relief 4.0” — does not cover enough Taiwanese.
The package is weak and more than half of the population is ineligible for its financial subsidies, Wang said.
“This is why the KMT proposes that universal cash handouts be given,” she said.
The industries targeted by the government’s subsidy schemes, including the food and beverage industry, have been given inadequate support, she said.
The government also lacks administrative efficiency, she said, adding that it has been too slow to approve and complete payments.
Since the government in May announced a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, the food and beverage industry has cooperated with restrictions, said Shui Yun-hsiang (水雲翔), head of the KMT’s Community Volunteers Department.
Although restaurants are allowed to offer takeout services, many are facing drastically reduced revenue, Shui said.
Taipei Restaurant Association representative Tsai Ping-kang (蔡秉剛) said that the government should subsidize one month’s rent for businesses in the food and beverage industry.
Alternatively, the government could subsidize one-third of their monthly rent each time restrictions are extended, Tsai said.
The government should carry out universal COVID-19 testing and vaccinations to control infections within communities, Taipei Restaurant and Beverage Workers’ Union consultant Yeh Yun-ching (葉雲清) said.
In addition to relief programs, the National Health Insurance Administration should help cover three months’ of labor and health insurance premiums for all food and beverage workers, Yeh said.
State-run Taiwan Power Co should grant reductions or exemptions to the electricity fees of food and beverage operators for three months, he said.
Moreover, the government could lower or waive the rent of businesses that are leasing government property based on their lost revenue, he said.
With so many people relying on takeout meals, the government should prioritize vaccinations for food and beverage workers who come into contact with the general public, Kaohsiung City Dining Occupation Labor Union secretary-general Wu Ching-yu (吳靜瑜) said.
The government should secure more COVID-19 vaccine doses as soon as possible, Wang said.
The common sentiment among food and beverage operators across the nation is that “only with vaccines would it be possible for restrictions to be lifted and for the industry to return to normal,” she said.
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