The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday urged the public to avoid talking when eating out and to wear a mask at all times when not eating or drinking to prevent COVID-19 infection over the Lunar New Year holiday.
People who are under self-health management after returning from abroad should also avoid chatting as much as possible when dining at home and opt for takeouts instead of eating out, the center said.
When they have to talk during a meal, they should try to observe social distancing, or at least maintain some distance from the people they are talking to, the center said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
People who have finished quarantine but failed to observe self-health management regulations can be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 for breaching the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).
Those who are practicing self-health management or have just entered this phase after home isolation would be fined between NT$10,000 and NT$150,000 if they breached regulations, it added.
The center also advised people to avoid crowded areas if they want to follow the Lunar New Year custom of zouchun (走春), or a “spring walk” — meaning to take a walk to make courtesy calls to relatives and friends or visit temples and scenic spots.
If they must do so, they should wear a mask, periodically wash their hands and always cover their mouth when coughing, it said.
Aside from CECC-designated areas where masks must be worn at all times, the public is advised to wear a mask in scenic spots, night markets and traditional markets where social distancing is difficult, it added.
Wearing a mask reduces the risk of people touching their mouth and nose when in public places, while periodically washing one’s hands with soap or sanitizing them with alcohol can greatly reduce the chances of germs and viruses remaining on one’s hands, the center said.
If their hands get dirty, bloodied or come into contact with body fluids, they should try to wash their hands with soap, it said.
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
UNITED: The premier said Trump’s tariff comments provided a great opportunity for the private and public sectors to come together to maintain the nation’s chip advantage The government is considering ways to assist the nation’s semiconductor industry or hosting collaborative projects with the private sector after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on chips exported to the US, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Trump on Monday told Republican members of the US Congress about plans to impose sweeping tariffs on semiconductors, steel, aluminum, copper and pharmaceuticals “in the very near future.” “It’s time for the United States to return to the system that made us richer and more powerful than ever before,” Trump said at the Republican Issues Conference in Miami, Florida. “They
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Taiwan must capitalize on the shock waves DeepSeek has sent through US markets to show it is a tech partner of Washington, a researcher said China’s reported breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) would prompt the US to seek a stronger alliance with Taiwan and Japan to secure its technological superiority, a Taiwanese researcher said yesterday. The launch of low-cost AI model DeepSeek (深度求索) on Monday sent US tech stocks tumbling, with chipmaker Nvidia Corp losing 16 percent of its value and the NASDAQ falling 612.46 points, or 3.07 percent, to close at 19,341.84 points. On the same day, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Sector index dropped 488.7 points, or 9.15 percent, to close at 4,853.24 points. The launch of the Chinese chatbot proves that a competitor can
RSS