On March 28, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that it will enhance epidemic prevention measures for certain leisure and entertainment venues and maintain the current mask mandate and other preventive measures from April 1 to April 31, after analyzing the current COVID-19 situation, to maintain the disease prevention capacity, bring social and economic activity back to normal and efficiently manage associated risks. Details about related regulations are listed below.
A. Mask rules remain unchanged; masks are required when outside except for the situations listed below.
a. Masks remain mandatory when singing.
b. In the following situations, people are not be required to wear a mask, but they should carry a mask with them. Masks are still required if COVID-19 symptoms are present or social distancing cannot be maintained with nonspecific persons.
1. When exercising outdoors and indoors;
2. When taking individual/group photos indoors and outdoors;
3. When driving by oneself or with live-in family members;
4. When livestreaming, filming, moderating an event, reporting news, delivering remarks, giving a speech, lecturing, or during activities or events involving conversations with others;
5. When people in the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and animal husbandry sectors work in open spaces (such as farm fields, fish ponds, forests and mountains);
6.When people are in forests/mountains (including forest recreation areas) and on the beach;
7. When people are in hot/cold springs, dry sauna rooms, spas, steam rooms, saunas, during water activities, or in venues where masks can get wet easily.
c. Masks may be removed when consuming food/beverages outside.
d. Masks may be temporarily removed in venues or during activities (e.g. art performers performing a show, film crews/TV news anchors when filming, and athletes and referees participating in sports competitions) that comply with the CECC’s or competent authority’s epidemic prevention and control rules.
B. Commercial business venues and public venues (including transportation) should implement contact information registration, take temperatures, enhance disinfection of premises, carry out health management among staff, and implement timely responses to the occurrence of confirmed cases.
C. Stores, supermarkets, and markets: follow epidemic prevention measures for such commercial business venues/public venues; crowd control will not be required, and food sampling will be allowed.
D. Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR), Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA), intercity buses, and ships (except for designated dining areas), and domestic flights: consuming food and beverages will be allowed inside a vehicle (train, ship or aircraft).
E. Dining venues should: rigorously implement contact information registration, take temperatures, provide hand washing and disinfection equipment; toasting each table will not be allowed at banquets. Venues that violate the contact information registration or other abovementioned measures are subject to penalties according to applicable laws and required to make remedies within a given time period; those who fail to do so are not allowed to offer dine-in services.
F. Religious venues and religious gatherings or events: shall abide by epidemic prevention and control regulations issued by the Ministry of Interior.
The CECC pointed out that it will strengthen epidemic prevention measures for certain leisure and entertainment venues, including singing and dance venues, hostess bars, nightclubs, pubs, bistros, beauty parlors (tourist parlors and audio-video parlors), and other similar venues (hostess teahouses, discos, saunas):
1. Customers entering such venues should provide proof of vaccination with three vaccine doses and follow the contact information registration rule; those with respiratory symptoms or a fever will not be allowed entry.
2. Staff members/workers at such venues (including itinerant workers) must have received their second dose for 14 or more days; those who have received their second dose for three months must be vaccinated with a third dose, otherwise, they will not be allowed to provide services.
3. Staff members/workers at such venues (including itinerant workers) nationwide must undergo a rapid test every week until April 30, only those with negative results can continue to provide services.
4. Staff members/workers at certain leisure and entertainment venues closed temporarily in Keelung must provide a negative result from a PCR test taken within three days of reopening and must undergo a rapid test every two days and a PCR test every week within two weeks after the venues reopen.
5. Such venues must compile a list of all their workers (including staff, receptionists, janitors, administrative personnel and itinerant workers), create a health monitoring plan, and establish a mechanism to track and handle irregularities.