Sparse crowds seen on 1st day of eased restrictions in Taiwan

台灣放寬限制第一天，人潮稀少

National parks, gyms, cinemas, amusement parks, and museums mostly empty on 1st day of loosened restrictions


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first day of loosened restrictions on Tuesday (July 13) saw few takers across Taiwan, with many still erring on the side of caution.

On July 8, Health Minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced that although case numbers have steadily dropped, there is still the possibility of local infections, and for this reason, the country's Level 3 alert would be extended to July 26. Nevertheless, he stated the center had decided to relax restrictions in some sectors, such as national parks, museums, movie theaters, and restaurants, starting July 13.

Although restaurants were on the CECC's list of venues that could open, Penghu County was the only one of Taiwan's 22 municipalities to permit its eateries to operate on Thursday. In order to limit the size of crowds at national parks, national scenic areas, amusement parks, leisure farms, forest recreation areas, botanical gardens, cultural parks, parking lots will be limited to 40 percent of the original capacity. All beaches in Taiwan are to remain closed for the foreseeable future.

In the case of movie theaters, cinema operators must use a real-name registration system, measure customers' body temperatures, ensure they wear masks, clean and disinfect after each show, implement checkerboard seating (isolating seats, rows, or aisles to prevent spread of infection), prohibit eating and drinking. Fitness centers also face a long list of rules that must be enforced, such as a crowd limit of 25 percent of normal capacity, face masks, social distancing, and spacing of equipment, while equipment cannot be shared.

As can be seen in the photos below, the majority of venues from national parks to movie theaters saw only a trickle of people visiting on opening day. However, many operators pointed out that it was a weekday and crowds will likely increase over the weekend.