Premier Su Tseng-chang on Thursday directed government agencies to put all preparations in place for the upcoming Lunar New Year to ensure a happy and peaceful holiday season for the nation. The preparations for the seven-day holiday, which begins January 23, will cover such public services as transportation and traffic control, health care and disease prevention, public safety and security, and the stability of commodity prices.
The premier's instructions followed reports on 2020 Lunar New Year public services delivered by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Council of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), and Ministry of the Interior.
Regarding transportation, Premier Su asked the MOTC to raise the public's awareness of relevant measures and stay on top of transport and traffic conditions at all times. Contingency mechanisms and road safety precautions should be strengthened as well.
As for disease control, the premier said the government is committed for the long haul to protecting Taiwan against African swine fever. Preventive measures will continue non-stop throughout the holiday period and will be enforced to the maximum extent possible.
With masses of people traveling to and from domestic and overseas locations, Premier Su asked the MOHW and other agencies to guard against transmission of the new coronavirus from China by ramping up health surveillance and border checks.
Concerning public safety and price stability, the premier instructed the responsible agencies to strengthen measures for public security, road safety (including drunk driving penalties), home safety, public works construction safety, security and contingency planning for key infrastructure, and the steady supply of everyday goods.