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Petition seeks abolition of half-day typhoon days-off

Petition seeks abolition of half-day typhoon days-off

Petition seeks abolition of half-day typhoon days-off

More than 5,000 people have signed an online petition seeking the abolition of half-day off during typhoons, surpassing the 5,000-signature threshold Wednesday.

As Typhoon Megi made landfall early Tuesday with strong gusts and heavy rainfall, several local governments cancelled school and work for the latter half of Tuesday, putting school children in danger as they were caught in strong gusts on their way home.

A netizen made a proposal on the National Development Council’s web-based public policy platform, suggesting the discontinuation of half-day typhoon holidays. The platform’s policy mandates an official response within 60 days if a proposal passes the threshold, which means an official response will be announced before Nov. 28.

The proposal argues that it is difficult to predict when the weather might worsen during a typhoon and as an example mentioned yesterday's late announcement in Tainan. Although the situation in the morning had not reached the standard for work and school cancellations, by midday effects of the typhoon necessitated a delayed half-day cancellation of work and classes, undoubtedly causing inconvenience for some residents.