Major celebrations for Double Ten National Day in Taipei, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung will be scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) said yesterday.
Chen, who is deputy head of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), is also secretary-general of the government’s organization committee for National Day events.
This year’s activities would be scaled down significantly compared with previous years, Chen told the CECC’s daily news briefing in Taipei when asked about disease prevention plans.
Photo provided by the Kaohsiung City Government
There are three major activities planned — an evening gala on Oct. 9 in Hsinchu City, and on Oct. 10 a ceremony near the Presidential Office in Taipei and a fireworks show at the Port of Kaohsiung, he said.
It is the first time the Hsinchu City Government has been appointed to host a national day celebration, with the gala to be at Hsinchu Air Force Base.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), other government officials and overseas compatriots are to attend the Hsinchu event, Chinese-language media have reported.
While the base can accommodate 10,000 to 20,000 people, attendance would be capped at 2,500, Chen said.
At the Taipei event on Ketagalan Boulevard, participants will be limited to 6,000, he said.
The fireworks show at the port, which can accommodate more than 600,000 people, would be limited to about 20,000, he said.
Everyone at the fireworks show would have a seat and there would be at least 1m between each seat, Chen said.
The plans are subject to change if the pandemic situation worsens, he said.
The organizers of the three events are to prepare disease prevention plans, which would be subject to approval by the CECC, he said.
Military personnel who are to take part in Double Ten National Day events started rehearsals in front of the Presidential Office yesterday, the Military News Agency reported.
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