《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taipei raises alert level, restricting dining services

LEVEL 2.5: People who have not been vaccinated or have received only one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine should only dine in if there are isolation booths, Ko Wen-je said

By Yang Hsin-hui and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

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Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） yesterday announced that the city is raising its COVID-19 alert level to 2.5, with a conditional ban on dine-in services.

People who have received two or three shots against COVID-19 can dine in at eateries, while those who have not been vaccinated or have only received one jab should only eat on-site if there are isolation booths, he told a news conference.

Ko said he is not thinking of raising the alert level to 3, as Taiwan has a relatively high vaccination rate and vaccinated people are less likely to spread the virus.

Taipei residents are advised to voluntarily abstain from dining in, which remains a high-risk activity, he said.

During the level 2.5 period, people can dine in if they have received their second dose at least 14 days before, while those who have not should order takeout or delivery, he said.

The measures are advisory for now, as the city hopes that the partial restrictions on indoor dining would encourage people to behave responsibly, he said, adding that more forceful measures might be imposed if compliance is low.

Asked about dining regulations for children aged 12 or younger, Ko said that they can dine in if they are accompanied by a parent.

The Central Epidemic Command Center （CECC） on Monday extended the nation’s level 2 COVID-19 alert to Feb. 7, meaning that people are still required to wear masks outside their homes, unless they are eating, or if they are in outdoor spaces with very few people, such as in forests or fields.

Asked about Ko’s announcement, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung （陳時中）, who heads the center, said that so long as the alert level is within the level 2 range, local governments can raise it to a level they see fit, be it level 2.5, 2.6 or 2.4, and that the public must abide by the regulations.

The CECC yesterday reported 71 new COVID-19 infections: 27 domestic and 44 imported cases.

Most of the new locally transmitted cases were linked to known clusters in Taoyuan, Kaohsiung and Yilan County, or isolated cases in a New Taipei City hospital, Chen said.

However, there are three confirmed cases whose sources of infections are still being investigated, including two Taoyuan residents in Bade District （八德）, who took the test at COVID-19 testing sites in the city, and an Indian national, who took the test for a trip abroad, Chen said.

Twelve of the 27 local cases are breakthrough infections, while seven are children younger than 10 who are not eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 in Taiwan. Two received one dose each of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, one is unvaccinated and the status of the remaining five has yet to be determined, the CECC said.

The center did not release information on the vaccination status of the imported cases.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES