The ban on eating in movie theaters is to be lifted from Tuesday, while junior and senior high schools will be allowed to hold pre-summer graduation trips for their students, the Taipei City government announced Monday.
As the city has not recorded any new COVID-19 cases of unknown origin since Feb. 7, this means the community is relatively safe, hence the easing of restrictions, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (???) said at a press briefing.
Effective from Tuesday, eating in cinemas will be allowed, junior and senior high school students can go on graduation trips, and the city’s double-decker restaurant bus will resume operations, according to the city government, which imposed the restrictions on Feb. 1 due to the recent domestic spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan.
In addition, crowd control at Taipei Zoo, Taipei Astronomical Museum and other social education venues will be lifted.
However, the suspension of off-campus activities outside Taipei by preschool and elementary schools will remain in place, it added.
Ko explained that since most of the city’s junior and high schoolers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, holding activities and graduation trips outside Taipei should not be a problem, providing teachers and students were fully inoculated at least 14 days prior to the activity.
Those who are unvaccinated but still wish to partake in such activities must provide a negative COVID-19 test, whether via a rapid test or PCR test, three days prior, he said, noting that the cost of rapid tests will be covered by the school.
Meanwhile, the mayor said if one student tests positive for COVID-19, his or her entire class will be suspended for 14 days, while if more than one pupil in different classes tests positive, the entire school will be suspended for 14 days.
The easing of restrictions must be incremental, Ko said, adding that the rules will be adjusted in line with Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) rules.
Unlike Taipei, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (???) said the easing of COVID-19 restrictions has never been a concern since the coronavirus situation in the city remains relatively stable.
Taichung will continue to stay at the nationwide Level 2 COVID-19 alert imposed by the CECC, Lu said.
The central Taiwanese city, is offering COVID-19 vaccine jabs at 47 designated sites from Monday to Tuesday, and the mayor said a total of 240,000-250,000 people are expected to receive vaccine shots from Monday to Feb. 20 during the latest round of vaccinations.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel