TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is calling on Taipei Metro passengers to register their electronic ticket cards to facilitate better movement tracing as the country grapples with a spike in COVID-19 cases.

EasyCard, iPASS, and iCASH users are urged to register their ticket cards by filling out information on the services' respective websites after the second-highest COVID alert was declared for Taipei and New Taipei on Saturday (May 15).

The cards are used to access the MRT, public buses, and railway systems. Providing the requested personal data, including one’s cellphone number, allows for efficient case tracking and better risk notification as many people continue to commute on public transport, Tsai said on Facebook.

Taiwan has recorded record daily tallies of coronavirus cases recently, most of them domestic and centered on the Greater Taipei area, and the surge has been blamed on the more contagious U.K. variant. Of Taiwan's total 1,682 cases, 473 have been reported over the past week.

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) has asked commuters to avoid the 7:30-8:30 a.m. rush hour to reduce the risk of cluster infections. Businesses in the two cities are advised to implement work from home measures during the period of the Level 3 restrictions, which are in place until May 28.

To register your e-ticket, visit the website of EasyCard, iPASS, or iCASH.

EasyCard, iPASS, and iCASH (CECC image)