TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2022 National Middle School Athletic Games in Hualien will be postponed due to the recent surge in local COVID-19 infections, the county government announced on Thursday (April 14) night.

Originally slated for April 16-21 in the eastern county, the sports event will be rescheduled for the safety of athletes and all other participants after the education ministry gave the green light that day, according to Magistrate Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚).

The 2020 games in Pingtung were also put off until July that year due to the pandemic, Hsu added. When the event can take place hinges on how the new outbreak is contained, CNA quoted her as saying.

Taiwan has seen a spike in cases over the past weeks, with hundreds reported on a daily basis though most had mild or no symptoms. National Taiwan University (NTU) epidemiologist Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) predicted Thursday the caseload will not ease until September.