Coronavirus - Taiwan Developments Jan. 2022

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Southbound tourists have rebound, with Kaohsiung hotels reporting 80% occupancy and people calling to book for the next day still now.

[FairComment]

I was thinking moreso international tourists, but anything helps

[SuiGeneris]

@yinggeaussie

Why not? - 500 die in a month from one cause and little is mentioned.

50 (+/-) test positive to a virus in one day and thousands get put into Quarantine.

Thats not what I picture when I read or hear…

@yinggeaussie

all hell has broken loose

Instead, something more like this comes to mind:

or

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I would wish that this impasse had given tourism authorities the time to plan a strategy to attract a better, more sustainable and overall beneficial tourist to Taiwan. Instead of the China focused, China benefits kind.

Alas, one can dream…

[DrewC]

@yinggeaussie

So about 500 people die in Taiwan each week from Pneumonia / Influenza and what preventative actions are being taken by the Government?

Unfortunately I saw the aftermath of a really bad scooter accident a block from my house earlier today. Dude was laid out on a stretcher so obviously quite serious. I see accidents like this at least once a month (sometimes more). Have seen at least two or three definitely dead people on the road in my 6 years here. If they’re so keen to protect us all from harm, I’d like to see that level of care applied towards something that actually is killing people every day.

[afterspivak]

What you are seeing—unfortunately for all involved—are examples of normalized accidents. Michael Turton wrote about this phenomenon a while ago:

Notes from central Taiwan: Taiwan’s normalized accidents - Taipei Times

Guy

[DrewC]

I’m not saying either situation is ideal but I think there’d be far less fatalities in a Taiwan that has normalized living with COVID vs a Taiwan that has normalized horrible road accidents and lax enforcement of traffic laws.

[afterspivak]

It’s not often that we hear Minister Chen speak directly to us in English. He does so here:

A message from Taiwan's health minister and commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC)

Guy

[Shaun008]

@afterspivak

It’s not often that we hear Minister Chen speak directly to us in English. He does so here:

He didn’t post it on Forumosa, so it don’t count

[afterspivak]

Still appreciate Minister Chen’s outreach, as it’s clear he’s not speaking to international media, but to people like us who live here.

Guy

[Trillium]

Agree, they need to open borders for those vaccinated and boosted. Why would being totally isolated for another few years be good for anyone there? Even Taiwanese who don’t travel at all? It can’t be good in the long run for international relations, business, or anything. It’s pretty bad when the Philippines are making more logical decisions