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COVID-19 restrictions at religious, dining venues, to be eased

ROC Central News Agency

10/04/2021 06:47 PM

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) Certain restrictions on religious gatherings and indoor dining will be eased starting Tuesday even though Taiwan's current Level 2 COVID-19 alert is being extended until Oct. 18, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Religious venues such as temples, churches and mosques will be opened to visiting worshippers under certain conditions, Deputy Interior Minister Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who doubles as deputy head of the CECC, said Monday.

Gatherings of worshippers for meals at these venues will be allowed without requiring checkerboard seating arrangements to keep people separated, but proper COVID-19 protocols such as periodic sanitation and mask wearing must still be respected, Chen said.

Restrictions on religious venues that provide overnight accommodation for worshippers will also be loosened, he said, noting that four people will be allowed to stay in a room instead of the current one person per room.

However, activities such as religious processions will continue to be prohibited, he said.

For indoor dining, the CECC official said restaurants can begin offering eat-in services on Tuesday without having to observe social distancing rules or use dividers due to the improving COVID-19 situation in the country.

Self-service hot food areas that sell tea eggs, sweet potatoes and hot dogs at convenience stores, meanwhile, can begin to let customers pick the items they want themselves instead of having to have staff assist them, Chen said.

As for entertainment venues, establishments such as karaoke outlets, internet cafes and board game centers will be allowed to resume operations, he said, but nightclubs, disco halls, pubs, hostess clubs and massage parlors will continue to remain suspended.

Also beginning Tuesday, members of the public can visit outdoor scenic sites without having to wear a face mask if social distancing can be maintained.

In addition, forestry workers and farmers will not be required to wear a face mask when working outdoors, Chen added.

Taiwan's current Level 2 COVID-19 alert, which was due to expire Monday, is to be extended for two more weeks.

The CECC first raised the nationwide COVID-19 alert to Level 2, the third-highest level on its four-tier scale, on May 11, when officials announced Taiwan had entered the community transmission stage of COVID-19.

(By Chen Chien-ling, Chiang Hui-chun and Ko Lin)

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