Taipei relaxes limits on indoor dining

According to [Taiwan News], Taipei on Tuesday (Sept. 28) began easing some of its restrictions on indoor dining, as COVID cases have ebbed significantly across the city.

During a press conference on Monday (Sept. 27), Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) announced that restrictions on indoor dining would be relaxed because the city had gone 16 days without any COVID cases from unknown sources. Ko stated that starting on Tuesday, friends and family eating together will no longer need to sit in a checkerboard pattern or be separated by partitions.

Read more: Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers can be used starting on 10/8. "How to avail, scope of application, and bonus measures" are summarized here

Taipei City mayor announced that there is no need for partitions among same party diners. (Photo / Provided by the Taipei City Government)

However, Ko said that checkerboard seating and partitions are still required to separate customers from strangers. He put it simply: "If you know everyone seated next to you, you don't need to be separated, but if you don't know them, you must use checkerboard seating and partitions."

The mayor then stressed that real-name registration is also still required at all eateries. He warned that people who fail to properly register when they enter restaurants could face fines of between NT$3,000 (US$108) and NT$15,000 for breaching the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法).

He explained that Taipei's criteria for relaxing the rules on indoor dining include the following: a daily case average of 10 or fewer in a week, an average of two or fewer daily cases from unknown sources, and three or fewer weekly community cluster infections. In this case, Taipei has gone for more than two weeks without an unknown source of infection, prompting the relaxation of rules.

Read more: Attention parents! New Taipei City students will receive the BNT vaccine and schools will hold home online classes for 2 days

Indoor dining restrictions will be eased beginning September 28. (Photo / Provided by Taipei City Government)

According to [Taiwan News], on Aug. 3, Taipei opened for indoor dining after a nearly three month-hiatus following the Level 3 restrictions imposed in May. When dining resumed, required measures included checkerboard seating, dividers on tables, hand sanitizer use, 1.5 meters of space between tables, and food served as individual meals.