The Augusto Crown Golf course in New Taipei City has been fined NT$1.02 million (US$36,734) for operating, despite being ordered to close during a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, the New Taipei City Government said on Thursday.
The city and Taipei on May 15 implemented the level 3 alert amid a surge in locally transmitted COVID-19 infections in the two municipalities.
The alert level, initially implemented for two weeks, was on Wednesday last week expanded to the whole of Taiwan. It was on Tuesday extended until June 14.
Level 3 is the second-highest in Taiwan’s COVID-19 alert scale and mandates the closure of several types of entertainment and sports venues, including golf courses, New Taipei City Sports Office Director Hung Yu-ling (洪玉玲) said.
The Sports Office notified the Augusto Crown Golf course of the directive on the day of its implementation, but it continued to operate, even after city officials and police visited the course and ordered it to suspend operations, she said.
Officials made their fifth visit to the golf course on Thursday morning, finding that it was still operating, Hung said.
They were told by employees at the course that “the boss has demanded that operations continue,” Hung said.
The office has issued five separate fines to the golf course for operating on Friday last week and from Monday through Thursday, based on the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法), Hung said.
The act stipulates that businesses or people who are found to contravene disease control measures are fined NT$60,000 to NT$300,000.
The fines issued to the golf course are NT$60,000, NT$120,000, NT$240,000, NT$300,000 and NT$300,000, totaling NT$1.02 million, Hung said.
When city officials returned for another check to the golf course on Thursday afternoon, they found it closed and a sign saying that operations are suspended, Hung said.
If the golf course is found to operate again during the level 3 alert, its electricity and water would be cut off, she said.
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