Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises.
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Underground retailers and metro malls would also temporarily suspend operations, it said.
Passengers at stations must comply with staff instructions and overhead announcements to relocate to the main concourse and areas at platform level, it said.
Contraventions of drill regulations may result in fines from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 according to Article 25 of the Civil Defense Act (民防法), the company said.
Furthermore, the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park and Taipei Arena are to temporarily close, including all indoor and outdoor facilities and vendors, it said.
The public must follow the instructions of workers and relocate to shelters, it added.
From 6am to 12pm tomorrow, Neihu District’s (內湖) Tri-Service General Hospital is to hold live military drills, which would affect bus routes in the surrounding area, the Taipei Public Transportation Office said.
The section of road between the National Defense Medical Center and Minquan E Road Sec 6 would be closed in both directions at this time, it said.
Bus routes 645, including the 645 sub-line (645副), 903 and 617, would be affected, with all stops at Tri-Service General Hospital Emergency Room and National Defense Medical Center to be canceled, it said.
Passengers should board at alternative stops along the routes, it added.
For further inquiries, passengers can contact the dispatch centers listed on bus stop signs or call the Taipei citizen hotline at 1999.
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