Staying at home has become the new normal for many people around the world, and Taiwan has been no exception since the country entered a Level 3 alert in mid-May. “Stay home to save the world” is the advice most Taiwanese have been following to avoid cluster infections.
Not being able to step out of the house has changed people’s lives. [Taiwan News] has surveyed readers to find out what people have been doing, eating, and spending money on during the lockdown, as well as the first place they want to visit after the pandemic is behind us.
Read more: PH government says 97%of health workers in Metro Manila is fully vaccinated
Taiwan News (Photo courtesy of Venice Tang)
The survey conducted by [Taiwan News] over three days among a randomized sample of readers across Taiwan. A total of 522 responses were gathered, and the analysis throughout this article is based on those responses. According to the survey, more than 65 percent of those surveyed were quarantined with family or roommates, while 26 percent were in lockdown on their own. It should be pointed out that technically Taiwan is in a “soft” or voluntary Level 3 lockdown. Strict lockdown is classed as Level 4.
Top 5 quarantine activities
Among the many things citizens have been doing to stay entertained at home, the top activities appear to be watching movies and television, and “sleeping”. In third place was scrolling social media since meeting online is the safest way for people to hang out during the pandemic. Coming in fourth and fifth place were listening to music and podcasts, and face-timing friends, respectively.
Read more: CECC states that seniors diagnosed with COVID-19 should be hospitalized
Over 70 percent cook at home
COVID-19 has significantly changed people’s eating habits, as restaurants no longer provide dine-in services. When asked about how people eat during the voluntary lockdown, more than 70 percent said they cooked at home, while around 60 percent ordered food delivery. The least number of people got takeout.
Comfort food for dark times
Food delivery services have become essential during the lockdown period. Foodpanda, for example received a 20% increase in orders ever since the Level 3 alert began in mid-May. Most people voted for burgers or sandwiches as their favorite items from food delivery services, with pizza as the runner up. According to the survey, french fries and fried chicken were also popular items.
Read more: Eight tips for maintaining a germ-free environment
Spending less
According to [Taiwan News]’s survey, almost 50 percent of those surveyed reported that their expenses had decreased during the period.
“This phenomenon is expected,” said Fong Po-han (馮勃翰), associate professor of Economics at National Taiwan University. The lowered expenditures reported can be attributed to two main reasons: reduced income and fewer opportunities to spend money during the pandemic, Fong explained. He said that from personal experience, he felt like his expenses have gone down, as the money saved from gasoline and not being able to visit cafes “outweighs the extra electricity bills I have to pay for staying home all the time.” However, the “actual change” in the amount of money spent during this period of time “depends on which industry each individual works in, and how each industry is affected,” Fong added.
To learn more about this survey conducted by [Taiwan News], click here: What soft lockdown looks like in Taiwan
