The Taichung City Government has been urged to include swimming classes in high-school curricula, as nearly two-thirds of the city’s schools do not teach the skill.
Democratic Progressive Party Taichung City Councilor Ho Min-cheng (何敏誠) said over the weekend that children and teens frequently drown during summer recess.
A 16-year-old high-school student surnamed Hung (洪) on Saturday drowned while playing with a friend in a deep pool about 2km upstream from the Dajia River’s (大甲溪) Guguan checkpoint in Taichung.
Photo: CNA
Ho said 291 people drowned last year, accounting for 4.3 percent of unintentional injuries, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics.
For people younger than 18, the major causes of unintentional injuries include drowning, traffic accidents, fires and falls, he said, adding that drowning is a risk that requires particular attention.
Ho Kun-ling (何昆霖), who heads Ho Min-cheng’s council office and is running for city councilor, said that 195 of the 301 junior-high schools and elementary schools in the city, or about 65 percent, provide no swimming classes.
Among schools that teach swimming, the number of classes ranges from two to 40, he added.
Most schools do not have such classes because they lack swimming pools, he said, calling on the city government to help schools find civic sports centers and other facilities for lessons, and to include pools in the plans of schools yet to be built.
The city government convenes yearly agency meetings to discuss drowning prevention measures and to plan inspections in areas with waters deemed dangerous.
It also provides schools with informational material regarding water safety to hand out ahead of summer break.
The National Fire Agency yesterday urged people not to enter restricted waters, as water is sometimes not as shallow as it seems, and slow-flowing waters can suddenly increase their speed.
People should also pay attention to their health and be aware of weather changes while in the water, it added.
People who spot a drowning person should shout for help, call a hotline such as 119, 118, 110 or 112, find a long object such as a pole or branch for the person to grab on to, or throw them a floating object such as a ball, a bottle or a ring buoy if available, it said.
To prevent drowning, people should only enter the water in places where life equipment and lifeguards are available, pay attention to depth differences in rivers or lakes, warm up before entering the water and relax while in the water, it said.
People should also avoid diving or other dangerous activities, it said.
They should not enter the water alone or wearing heavy clothing such as jeans, it added.
People must not play pranks in the water, swim when tired, or stay in the water for a long time or during bad weather, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS