The government would use all available resources to help the nation’s two largest airlines weather a crisis caused by COVID-19, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
The Executive Yuan last week approved a budget of about NT$16.85 billion (US$560.96 million) proposed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to bail out and boost the nation’s tourism industry and transport businesses, which have been severely affected by the global coronavirus epidemic.
However, there have been concerns that the budget might not be sufficient to cover all of the financial losses sustained by travel agencies and airlines.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
In addition to the budget, which was appropriated under the Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Restoration (嚴重特殊傳染性肺炎防治及紓困振興特別條例), the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Tourism Bureau have their own operational funds, Lin said before a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee.
The ministry would consider increasing the relief budget if there are not enough funds, he said, adding that priority should be based on the public interest.
About NT$4.2 billion of the budget would be used to support the nation’s two largest carriers — China Airlines and EVA Airways — which were forced to cancel scores of flights due to the outbreak, as well as duty-free shops in airports, Lin said.
The government would also reduce royalties, aircraft landing fees and other charges, he said, adding that the shortage in revenue would be compensated by the fund.
“They [the airlines] represent the nation. We should exhaust all possible means to support them under such a challenging situation,” Lin said.
“We also hope that they will hang in there, and not ask travel agencies and travelers to share their losses,” he said.
“Should the global COVID-19 outbreak persist, we will recommend that the government prepare a special bailout package for airlines,” he added.
Asked about the ministry’s plan to transport Taiwanese returning to the nation for next month’s Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, Lin said that the government yesterday launched a special taxi service at airports to ensure that public transportation does not become a hole in disease-prevention efforts.
This would help to more effectively control the flow of arriving travelers, particularly those from China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Italy and Iran, he said.
The service would ensure that travelers quickly arrive at their homes and begin a mandatory 14-day home quarantine after signing a health declaration or home quarantine notice, he added.
Lin expressed support for Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp’s (THSRC) decision to cancel all non-reserved seating during the holiday and to require all passengers to reserve seats under their real names.
The measures would help to prevent the spread of the virus, particularly in peak hours, when there is a lot of foot traffic in and out of high-speed rail stations, he said.
THSRC yesterday announced that it would install a total of 12 infrared thermal scanners at Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Zuoying stations before the holiday.
Two in Taoyuan have begun operations, it said.
The ministry has also already discussed allowing ministry officials to work remotely and breaking down big meetings into smaller ones should the disease continue to spread, with video conferencing an option if necessary, Lin said.
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
BETTER SERVICE QUALITY: From Nov. 10, tickets with reserved seats would only be valid for the date, train and route specified on the ticket, THSRC said Starting on Nov. 10, high-speed rail passengers with reserved seats would be required to exchange their tickets to board an earlier train. Passengers with reserved seats on a specific train are currently allowed to board earlier trains on the same day and sit in non-reserved cars, but as this is happening increasingly often, and affecting quality of travel and ticket sales, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced that it would be canceling the policy on Nov. 10. It is one of several new measures launched by THSRC chairman Shih Che (史哲) to improve the quality of service, it said. The company also said
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon