People who attend large-scale outdoor celebrations for Christmas or on New Year's Eve will be required to wear masks, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday while also extending the current COVID-19 Level 2 alert to Dec. 13.
Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) said at a news briefing that people will have to wear masks at all times except when they want to drink or eat something, and they will not be allowed to eat at the events except in designated areas specially set up for dining.
Show hosts and performers at any of these given events, however, will not be required to wear a face mask, Chen said.
The more restrictive mask mandate was imposed in view of rising concerns over the newly detected Omicron COVID-19 variant, according to the CECC.
Taiwan's face mask mandate has been gradually relaxed since early October.
While people must still generally wear face masks when they are outside, there are now several exceptions, including when they eat or drink something outdoors, exercise, sing in an outdoor venue, or visit forest recreation areas or beaches.
Extending the COVID-19 Level-2 alert also reflected caution.
Taiwan first raised the COVID-19 alert to Level 2 on May 11, after recording an increase in community transmission cases, and to Level 3 on May 19 amid a spike in new domestic cases to more than 100 a day.
The CECC lowered the COVID-19 alert to Level 2 on July 27 after a month of reporting fewer than 100 domestically transmitted cases per day.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel