Taiwan is postponing major festival as domestic COVID-19 cases arise

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan on Tuesday canceled a major festival during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays as the island reported four local cases of COVID-19, the biggest daily surge in local infections in nearly 11 months.

Taiwan, which has kept the pandemic under control thanks to early and effective prevention methods, has been diverted by new domestic outbreaks, first in December and now in a city hospital Taoyuan.

They have reported 868 cases, most of them admitted, involving seven deaths, with 102 in hospital treated.

Taiwan Lantern Festival, an annual celebration to the end of the upcoming Lunar New Year in mid-February, will be postponed this year due to COVID-19, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said, announcing the local infectious issues recently.

“This is a difficult decision, but the prevention of pandemics is our top priority,” Transport Minister Lin Chia-lungs told reporters.

The festival, which features lanterns and large fireworks displays, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and has been a major selling point for the government to attract foreign tourists. .

Lin Chih-Chien, the superintendent of the northern city of Hsinchu where the festival was to be held, said several technology companies there had asked the government to cancel the event, citing concerns about a revolution. local reduce production at a technology hub that hosts hosting companies including the world’s largest chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

The news came shortly after Taiwan reported four local cases of COVID-19, the highest number since Feb. 29.

All four cases are related to the Taoyuan hospital uprising and Taiwan’s health ministry plans to evacuate more than 200 patients from the hospital to isolation wards.

“We strongly recommend the cancellation of major events,” said Health Minister Chen Shih-chung. “The situation is under our control at the moment because things can be clearly pursued.”