TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Friday (Sept. 10) said he will monitor COVID-19 cases over the next two days to determine whether to prohibit indoor dining.
Due to a cluster infection centered on a kindergarten in New Taipei City found to have been caused by the Delta variant, the city put a halt to indoor dining on Friday. Although Taipei has also reported new cases this week, none have been identified as Delta variant infections thus far.
When Ko was asked if he is considering imposing a ban on indoor dining, he said there is no need to make adjustments yet since business at restaurants has plummeted, and the next order he gives must be "pragmatic and actionable." Ko said that city officials monitor data on new cases every day, and this week there have been three confirmed cases, two of which came from unknown sources.
Ko stressed the next two days are critical; if cases remain low, then no changes are necessary. However, if confirmed cases rise significantly over the next two days "then restaurants will need to stop indoor dining."
Ko added, "I want to tell all the people of the country, the last four months have not been spent in vain." He pointed to the city's large-scale PCR testing capabilities and a "relatively complete" epidemiological investigation team, adding that the speed at which epidemic prevention hotels and hospitals have been mobilized is "not the same as the chaotic situation four months ago."
