Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) yesterday called for the policy regarding the purchase of masks at contracted pharmacies to be modified to give priority to people with a chronic disease.
Due to panic buying of surgical masks after the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, the Central Epidemic Command Center on Thursday last week implemented a policy that requires people to produce their National Health Insurance card or Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) when buying masks at contracted pharmacies. Each person can purchase only two masks per week.
However, while civic groups have initiated an “I’m OK, you buy first” movement to encourage people to allow those who are more vulnerable than themselves to purchase masks first, many who need masks still say they have been unable to obtain a mask.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Hung said that he has received many complaints from people with chronic diseases who have to visit hospitals frequently, but have been unable to purchase masks.
He hopes the government will hear their voices, Hung said.
He said he would write to the relevant government departments, calling for the policy to be modified after domestic production of masks has increased to allow people to have priority if they can produce a certified document proving that they have a chronic disease.
He also urged the Executive Yuan to consider how to give priority to people with chronic diseases.
Hung acknowledged the efforts of frontline disease prevention workers, but said he hopes that policymakers will understand people’s needs and attend to them.
Hung urged people to take precautionary measures against the virus and be aware of the possibility of clustered infections among school children after school starts in two weeks.
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
RSS