As the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of slowing down, and having considered the Taiwanese medical system’s ability to cope, as well as the demands of business and trade, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), announced that, starting March 1, foreigners (including those from Hong Kong, Macao and China) holding valid residence certificates for Taiwan can enter the country without applying for permission in advance. However, they are required to present a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result obtained within three days before their flight, and home isolation after entry still requires one person per household.
Due to the successive discovery of mutant virus strains abroad, Chen said that in order to avoid the risk of community transmission due to large-scale gatherings, people must still wear masks during such events, and they must not remove them except to drink water. If a person does not wear a mask or eats and drinks carelessly, the offender will be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000 by the local government of the place where the offense took place.
The CECC also announced that, starting this month, passengers coming to Taiwan from medium-low and low-risk countries for short business trips can apply for shortened home isolation. Countries and regions with low infection risk include New Zealand, Macau, Palau, Fiji, Brunei, Laos, Nauru, East Timor, Mauritius, the Marshall Islands and Bhutan, while those with medium-low infection risk include Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報記者朱沛雄
(Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
考量國際疫情趨緩、國內防疫量能足夠與商務貿易交流需求,中央流行疫情指揮中心指揮官陳時中宣布,三月一日起,持有我國有效居留證的外國人(含港澳中),不需申請就可入境,但仍需提供搭機前三天的PCR 核酸檢驗陰性證明,入境居家檢疫仍需一人一戶。
由於國外陸續發現變種病毒株,陳時中表示,為了避免因辦理大型集會活動造成社區傳播風險,民眾參加大型集會仍要全程戴口罩,並且除飲水外,不得摘除。若未戴口罩或任意飲食,由違反義務行為地的地方政府依法處三千元以上、一萬五千元以下罰鍰。
指揮中心也公布三月起恢復中低與低風險國家來台從事短期商務者,可申請縮短居家檢疫。目前低感染風險國家/地區有紐西蘭、澳門、帛琉、斐濟、汶萊、寮國、諾魯、東帝汶、模里西斯、馬紹爾群島、不丹;中低感染風險國家/地區有澳洲、新加坡、越南、柬埔寨。
(自由時報記者楊媛婷)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110