Premier Su Tseng-chang visited the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Sunday to hear the latest on the coronavirus outbreak and discuss preventive measures following the long Tomb Sweeping holiday. After instructing government agencies on the main tasks at hand, the premier directed the CECC to expand reporting and testing of the virus and strengthen preventive measures for future holiday weekends.
At night markets and shopping districts across the country, pedestrians should be separated from vehicular traffic, even in normal times, Premier Su said. Creating dedicated pedestrian walkways will also improve the safety and quality of these sites. With fewer consumers around during the epidemic, local governments will receive subsidies to renovate night markets and retail districts as part of the disease prevention, industrial relief and economic stimulus program rolled out by the administration. The Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Economic Affairs and other competent authorities should communicate these measures to local governments, providing subsidies through policy tools or requesting enforcement through regulatory processes.
To prevent large-scale disease transmissions, the government should establish guidance for similar situations in the future and inform the public beforehand. For instance, requiring the public to wear face masks on mass transportation is an effective measure with which most people can comply. Agencies should therefore come up with concrete and practical guidelines for the public that are announced in advance and implemented strictly.