Taiwan CECC reminds public of social distancing during Labor Day weekend

台灣中央疫情指揮中心提醒民眾在勞動節週末保持社交距離

No plan to cancel Labor Day weekend, but crowd control necessary: Taiwan health minister


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese Health Minister and Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Saturday (April 25) that Labor Day weekend will proceed as scheduled; however, the public must continue following social distancing guidelines to ensure their own safety.

During the daily CECC press conference Saturday, Chen pointed out that currently the government has no plan to cancel or postpone the three-day weekend at the beginning of May. He emphasized that crowd and traffic controls, especially at popular tourist spots, will be essential to minimizing the risks of transmission clusters.

Chen said that people should still wear masks in public areas and avoid visiting crowded locations. He added that both the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and the National Police Agency of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) will implement necessary measures and may shut down places swarmed with visitors, reported Liberty Times.

CECC Deputy Commander Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥) stressed that the social distancing policy has been strictly imposed across Taiwan since the Qingming holiday, during which large crowds were spotted at many tourist locations, including the Kenting Beach in Pingtung. He urged the Taiwanese to pay attention to their personal hygiene and said warning messages will be sent out if a place becomes overly crowded, reported CNA.