TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei City will maintain its ban on indoor dining, despite the loosening of restrictions by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Health Minister and CECC head Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) on Thursday (July 8) announced that although case numbers have steadily dropped, there is still the possibility of local infections and for that reason, the country's Level 3 alert will continue to July 26. However, the center has decided to relax restrictions in some sectors, such as restaurants and movie theaters, starting on July 13.

During a press conference on Friday (July 9), Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) shot down the idea of opening restaurants by July 13. He said that indoor dining in the city's restaurants, food courts, and night markets will stay banned through July 26, with take-out the only dining option at these venues.

Ko added that school playgrounds will also remain closed. However, he said that daycare institutions for children, the disabled, and the elderly can operate at 50 percent capacity, as long as caregivers and the people being cared for are all vaccinated.

He said that cinemas can open their doors on July 13, but food will be prohibited both in and outside theaters. Theater chains must implement a real-name registration system for customers and require them to wear masks at all times.

The seating in theaters must follow a checkerboard pattern (leaving every other seat in a venue empty). Cinemas must not have wearable, interactive, or touch-sensitive devices, said Ko.

The mayor said the rationale behind loosening of Level 3 restrictions is to give priority to people's livelihoods, economy, and the functioning of society. He reasoned that "groups gathering for meals are dangerous from a scientific point of view," and for this reason, indoor dining will be the area that is opened up last.