People in Taipei face a fine of up to NT$6,000 (US$214) if they are caught having a barbecue in a riverside park during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, the city's Public Works Department said in a statement Thursday.
Having barbecues during the holiday is popular in Taiwan, but for the first time the activity is being banned in the city's riverside parks because of COVID-19 concerns, according to the department.
At a regular press briefing Wednesday, Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan (???) said the city does not permit residents to have barbecues in public spaces, except riverside parks and even then only during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which this year is from Saturday to Tuesday.
However, in the wake of ongoing COVID-19 worries, the practice will be prohibited this year to avoid crowds gathering in public spaces as the city continues to face the threat of the highly contagious Delta variant, she said.
The Public Works Department said Thursday if people are caught barbecuing in a riverside park, they will be ordered to stop immediately and fined between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000 under the Taipei City Park Management Ordinance.
However, it remains to be seen how strictly the regulation will be enforced across the city's 28 riverside parks.
Earlier this week at another press briefing, Mayor Ko Wen-je (???) acknowledged that in practice, it is impossible for the police to patrol all riverside parks all night to see if people violate the rule.
As for covered walkways attached to commercial or residential buildings, Huang said those areas are by law privately owned property and therefore the ban does not apply.
However, she urged people who plan to have barbecues outdoors on such walkways to observe social distancing and encouraged them to have their meals indoors instead.
Neighboring cities, including New Taipei and Keelung, have also banned barbecuing in public spaces during the holiday and specifically urged people not to do so even in covered walkway areas.
Across the country, barbecues will be banned in public spaces during the holiday, except for the three outlying islands of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu, according to local governments.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel