Taiwan announced it will scale back New Year’s Eve celebrations this year in light of discovery of the first case of the COVID-19 variant that originated in the UK that is now in the island nation.
Taiwan has been a global role model and benchmark when it came to combating the pandemic, putting under a tight leash with effective and early prevention measures. These include quarantining every arrival from abroad. They registered 800 confirmed cases, with almost seven deaths.
The new cases has been the first for the country after a long while. The two patients are now isolated in a hospital.
Among the cities that announced cancellation of public fireworks displays include Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Taoyuan, Chiayi and Keelung. These cities urged people to stay indoors and simply watch the festivities online or via television.
The Taipei city government, however, said people can still watch fireworks displays live like the one to be held outside Taipei 101, once the world’s tallest building, but with limited attendance. An audience of only 40,000 will be accepted instead of the originally planned 80,000, but attendees will be required to register personal details and wear masks during the event.
Even the traditional New Year’s Day flag-raising event at the presidential office will also be restricted, with only a handful of officials and invited guests to attend.