Universities nationwide are changing how they hold graduation ceremonies this year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
National Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) yesterday said that the university, due to its proximity to Kaohsiung’s Sizihwan (西子灣), is to hold its graduation ceremony outdoors on the beach.
The university estimates that about 120 doctoral students would receive their diplomas on June 6, while about 2,000 bachelor’s and master’s degree students would receive their diplomas between June 1 and June 6, Cheng said.
Photo copied by Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
Departments are free to choose whether they would hold their respective ceremonies on the beach or in indoor venues, he added.
National Chung Hsing University said that it is canceling all graduation ceremonies this year and putting all related videos and photos online, while National Taiwan University said it would hold a ceremony, but it has not yet finalized the details.
Shih Hsin University has said it would hold a ceremony this year without fail.
Chinese Culture University said it is spreading graduation over one week, allowing each of its 62 departments to hold their own ceremonies. It said that it would also livestream the ceremonies for those who cannot attend.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that universities are free to hold ceremonies provided they follow the center’s crowd management guidelines, but high-risk events should be delayed or canceled.
According to the crowd management guidelines, introduced on March 25 to curb the spread of COVID-19, no more than 100 people can gather indoors and no more than 500 people outdoors at the same time. Hosts of public gatherings should assess the six risk indices: the ability to know the health status of attendees in advance; whether the location is well ventilated; the ability to observe social distancing for attendees; whether the event is held at a fixed location; the duration of the event; and whether attendees would be able to wear masks during the event.
The center also said that university departments should establish pandemic-related contingencies ahead of time, such as isolation rooms or methods to deliver potential patients to hospitals, and how to alert authorities about potential patients.
Preventive measures, such as masks, medical-grade isopropyl alcohol and necessary warning signage, should all be established in advance, it added.
In other news, the Ministry of Culture yesterday said that the Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan’s music award event, has been postponed until October due to social distancing and crowd management regulations.
Nominees are to be announced in the middle of July, the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development said in a statement.
The awards were originally to be held at Taipei Arena, which can seat more than 10,000 people, the bureau said.
The exact date and how the ceremony would be held would be announced at a later date, it said.
A series of music events that accompany the awards, including international conferences, networking sessions, exhibitions and showcases would also be canceled, it added.
The bureau’s Popular Music Industry Division head, Chang Yu-hsuan (張祐瑄), said that given the large turnout last year, the festival would be canceled instead of postponed in the interest of the safety of artists and fans.
Additional reporting by CNA
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