content_text:
NEW CONSIDERATIONS:
 An airline manager said the idea is tempting, as demand for air cargo is strong, but issues such as training loaders would need to be addressed

Taiwanese airlines might repurpose passenger jets to carry cargo in their cabins to offset lost revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airlines are considering applying to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) for permission to transport cargo in passenger cabins after StarLux Airlines Co (星宇航空) last month became the first among the nation’s airlines to offer cargo-only flights using the normal cargo holds of its three Airbus SE A321neo passenger jets.

“We are considering whether to increase our capacity by putting cargo on passenger seats,” Starlux spokesman Nieh Kuo-wei (聶國維) told the Taipei Times by telephone. “The advantage is that we can improve revenue, although fastening the cargo might scuff our brand-new seats.”

“We are still evaluating whether the plan has merit,” Nieh said.

The airline has been focused on cargo services between Taiwan and Macau and Penang, Malaysia, to mitigate the effects of faltering passenger business due to travel restrictions, he said.

EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空), which has five Boeing 777 cargo aircraft, and China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空), with 18 Boeing 747 cargo aircraft, have applied to the CAA to provide cargo-only flights using the holds of passenger jets in the near term, they said.

They are assessing whether to boost capacity by using passenger seats, with a decision to be made after the CAA provides official documents.

“It is tempting given that demand for air cargo is still strong worldwide due to the cancelation of many passenger flights,” an airline manager said by telephone on condition of anonymity. “However, there is so much to evaluate, including training of loading personnel, as we have never done cargo-only flights using passenger cabins before.”

The comments came after the CAA, which has rules that passenger jets may only carry goods in their holds, last week announced that it would relax the conditions to allow airlines to load cargo in passenger cabins to increase their freight capacity.

The regulator is expected to release documents and guidelines for the safe transportation of cargo in passenger cabins today, CAA Flight Standards Division director Clark Lin (林俊良) said by telephone.

“In principle, we will approve the practice if airlines fasten goods securely and have good control over weight and balance,” Lin said.

Cargo can only be carried on seats, in overhead storage bins or in under-seat stowage areas, or in aisles if it is in boxes or bags and strapped down with netting to prevent movement, which would create a hazard if the weight shifted, he said.

Airlines would not be required to provide flight attendants for the cargo-only flights, but should have sufficient crew on board to help load and unload, he said.

While some foreign regulators have allowed airlines to remove seats to increase cargo capacity, the CAA would not allow this for the time being, given that the removal of the seats would “substantially change the way a plane’s balance is calculated,” he said.

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title: Airlines mull cargo in passenger cabins


content_text:
CRITICAL PERIOD:
 The 14 days after the holiday would determine whether cluster infections have occurred due to crowds gathering during the break, academics said

Community spread of COVID-19 is less likely if domestic cases remain under 12 percent of all confirmed cases, National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health said yesterday.

Observing whether cluster infections have occurred during the four-day holiday last week is crucial in the next 14 days, it said.

During the college’s weekly report on COVID-19 yesterday morning, vice dean Tony Chen (陳秀熙) analyzed the disease-prevention measures adopted by several countries, their timing and effects.

A passenger’s temperature is taken at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on March 31 in front of a electronic notice which reads: “Precautions against China Wuhan pneumonia: When do you need to wear a mask?”
 Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times

Taiwan used border control measures, including entry restrictions and home isolation or quarantine, as well as blocking travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau from Feb. 7, and banning foreign nationals from entering the country from March 19, which were effective in blocking the virus at national borders, he said.

Three clusters of domestic cases — associated with a family, a hospital and a research institute — did not result in community spread in Taiwan as most people cooperated with the government’s mitigation plans, including suspending classes and reducing large public gatherings, taking personal protective measures and disinfecting the environment, he said.

A majority of the confirmed cases were imported, with only a few domestic ones — many of whom were exposed to imported cases who did not practice home quarantine properly, the college said.

If the situation remains the same, with the number of weekly reported domestic cases kept at less than 20, community spread would be unlikely, it said.

“If domestic cases remain under 12 percent of all cases, we do not think a second wave of large-scale local outbreak will occur,” Chen said.

However, the next 14 days are crucial in determining whether clustered infections might have resulted from crowds gathering during the holiday, he said, but added that even if small-scale clusters are reported, if they could be stopped from spreading further through measures such as social distancing and wearing masks, community-wide spread could still be prevented.

Mitigation plans are adopted to buy time and protect people before a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, which is a better method than sacrificing a proportion of the population to obtain herd immunity, he said.

Overcrowding at tourist sites during the holiday could have been prevented by all government departments, not only local governments and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, college dean Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) said.

Health professionals at hospitals and long-term care centers must be protected to avoid overwhelming the health system, and expanded testing should be conducted on seriously ill patients and elderly people at care centers, service personnel who often encounter strangers, and residents of communities where a confirmed case lives, he said.

Chan also suggested extending social distancing to at least 2m in long-term care facilities and indoors, and at least 1m on public transportation or outdoors, implementing flexible work or school time to reduce the flow of people and rearranging indoor seating in coffee shops to maintain a safe distance.

“Avoiding gatherings, keeping a safe social distance, washing hands frequently and wearing a mask are still the most effective methods people can take as COVID-19 prevention measures,” he said. “People should feel proud implementing them as they are acting to protect themselves and others.”

In other news, Facebook yesterday rolled out a global coronavirus information center to help people access reliable health information, resources and health management information about COVID-19 compiled by the WHO and local health authorities.

In Taiwan, real-time information and resources on COVID-19 are sourced from the nation’s Centers for Disease Control, Facebook said.

People can also obtain updates from the WHO in the form of articles and videos, it said.

Additional reporting by CNA

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title: Virus Outbreak: Community spread may be avoidable


people: 黃珊珊 侯友宜

title: Virus Outbreak: Taipei urges centralized quarantine measures

content_text:
CROSS-INFECTIONS:
 The city is recommending people returning from overseas stay in quarantine hotels instead of at home to avoid infecting family members

With more than 10,000 people in home quarantine due to COVID-19, the Taipei City Government yesterday urged the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to centralize quarantine measures or require mandatory stays in quarantine hotels for Taiwanese returning home.

Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said the city is making the call because it has the highest number of confirmed cases in the nation — at more than 100 — most of which were family cross-infections.

For example, case No. 365, announced yesterday, is the four-year-old grandchild of case No. 356, who was infected by case No. 343, her spouse, who returned from the US and was symptom-free when he began home quarantine, but tested positive on Friday, Huang said.

A hotel room at Aloft Hotel Taipei, one of the city’s quarantine hotels, is pictured in an undated photograph.
 Photo courtesy of Taipei Department of Information and Tourism

People under home quarantine could still pass the virus to family members, who could pass it on to coworkers or classmates, making the potential social costs extremely high, she said.

Cross-infections remain Taiwan’s major source of domestic COVID-19 transmissions, Huang said, urging Taipei residents who return from overseas to contact the city government, which would help them arrange stays in quarantine hotels.

The CECC provides a subsidy of NT$1,000 per day for home quarantine, and another NT$1,000 if they stay in a quarantine hotel.

The city government yesterday also opened an online application for a city subsidy of NT$500, she said.

Taipei residents who stay in a quarantine hotel during the mandatory quarantine period can there fore receive a total subsidy of at least NT$2,500 per day, she said.

As the city’s subsidy policy was announced on March 19, people who are under quarantine on or after the date can apply for the subsidy within six months from the end of their quarantine period, Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said.

The amount of subsidy will be proportionally calculated according to how long the person’s quarantine period overlaps with the date, with the maximum being NT$7,000 for 14 days, Liu added.

Meanwhile, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Sunday renewed his call to have all travelers entering the nation tested for the virus, as imported cases account for 86 percent of the total number of cases, 4.6 percent of whom are asymptomatic.

By conducting tests on every incoming traveler and centralizing quarantine, instead of self-quarantine at home, Taiwan might be able to “block the virus 100 percent off the national borders,” he said, adding that the earlier, the better.

Additional reporting by Chen Hsin-yu

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Train delayed after man refused to put on his face mask

ALTERCATION:
 A betel-nut-chewing passenger allegedly verbally abused and physically attacked
a conductor who told him to put his mask on

A southbound Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) commuter train was delayed for about 30 minutes on Sunday morning when a passenger got into a verbal and physical fight with the train conductor for allegedly refusing to wear a mask during the trip.

“We have asked the Railway Police Bureau to investigate the evidence and turn it over to the Keelung City Health Bureau, which would issue a fine to the passenger in accordance with the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治條例),” said Ku Shih-yen (古時彥), director of the TRA’s Taipei transportation division.

“We have also offered the conductor full legal support if she decides to sue the passenger,” Ku added.

According to the TRA, the conductor was inspecting the tickets of passengers aboard commuter train No. 4121 while it was traveling between Baifu (百福) and Cidu (七堵) railway stations in Keelung.

One man had taken off his mask to chew betel nuts, so the conductor asked him to put it back on.

The man refused to comply, verbally abused the conductor, then physically attacked her, the agency said.

The conductor immediately contacted the railway police in Cidu, who arrested the passenger when the train arrived at Baifu Railway Station, the agency said.

All passengers on board were asked to disembark and take the next commuter train, it said, adding that the Baifu Railway Station deputy station master also boarded the train to protect the conductor until the train arrived at Shulin (樹林) Railway Station.

The incident was the first case in which the railway operator refused to carry a passenger for refusing to wear a mask on board, a new disease-prevention policy implemented on Wednesday last week.

Passengers whose temperature exceeds 37.5°C using a forehead thermometer are also not allowed to board, the TRA said.

Statistics from the TRA’s 239 railway stations showed that about 500 passengers arriving daily at stations did not have a face mask on.

About two-thirds of them followed the advice of train station staff to buy a mask at a convenience store or drug store before re-entering the station, while one-third gave up on taking the train to avoid the hassle.

A person who refused to wear a mask when entering the Taichung Railway Station at about 11pm on Sunday was taken away by the Railway Police for yelling at the deputy station master.

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taiwan-subdivisions: 樹林 七堵


title: South Korean and Philippine stocks enter bull territory

content_text:
Philippine and South Korean stocks entered technical bull markets, rising more than 20 percent from lows reached just weeks ago, as investor sentiment was buoyed by a slowing death toll in some of the world’s COVID-19 hotspots.

Markets were also optimistic about Saudi Arabia, Russia and other large oil producers moving to negotiate a deal to stem a historic price crash.

In South Korea, the KOSPI gained 3.9 percent to close 23 percent above its March 19 low. Samsung Electronics Co was the biggest boost to the measure, rising 3.6 percent ahead of its preliminary earnings report today.

“While South Korea remains susceptible to implications of external weakness, the region had been seen as one ‘flattening the curve’ without taking more stringent and disruptive containment measures,” said Jingyi Pan, a market strategist at IG Asia Pte in Singapore. “Moving further down the COVID-19 curve, this had thereby seen improved sentiment for the country.”

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index yesterday rose 4.2 percent, 20.5 percent above an eight-year low on March 19. The gains were helped by anticipation that a lockdown to contain the pandemic would be extended by two weeks, easing concerns of the quarantine being lifted prematurely.

“Improved global sentiment is the main catalyst and that’s driven by optimism Russia and OPEC will reach a deal cutting back production,” Papa Securities Corp strategist Manny Cruz said. “The Philippines and Indonesia are leading the climb to bull territory for these were the hardest hit markets amid the virus sell-off.”

Indonesian shares also flirted with bull territory, as Asia’s regional benchmark climbed 2.5 percent, the most in about two weeks.

The Jakarta Composite Index jumped by as much as 3.8 percent, pushing its gain from its March 24 low to more than 20 percent, meeting the technical definition of a bull market.

Some investors might be taking the depressed valuations and share prices as an opportunity to buy into the long-term prospects for the Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, said Thendra Crisnanda, head of research at PT MNC Sekuritas.

“This roller-coaster ride of the Indonesian market has been amazing, although fundamentally this upswing cannot be explained with the companies facing downward earnings revisions this year,” Crisnanda said. “One possible explanation is if there are active funds who have conviction on the Indonesian market and are buying stocks on the dip.”

While strong, the gains could still prove to be merely relief rallies. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index is still 33 percent below its high on July 15 last year. The Jakarta Composite Index is 27 percent off from its peak in April last year and the KOSPI is still about 21 percent down from its Jan. 22 high.

“With a very light calendar globally today, there is enough momentum to keep the equity rally running through the course of the day and also into European time,” Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda Asia Pacific Pte, wrote in a note. “All bets are off after that although I could see a couple of days of positive sentiment ahead, especially if those mortality rates keep falling.”

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title: England’s Walker sorry after lockdown ‘party’

content_text:
England defender Kyle Walker is facing disciplinary action from English Premier League team Manchester City after appearing to break British lockdown regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walker, 29, apologized on Sunday after it was widely reported he held a party involving two sex workers at his home last week, breaking the government’s regulations on social distancing.

The UK is in the middle of a three-week lockdown.

Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, left, and John Stones celebrate with the trophy after winning the EFL Cup final against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on March 1.
 Photo: Reuters

“I want to take this opportunity to issue a public apology for the choices I made last week which have resulted in a story today [Sunday] about my private life in a tabloid newspaper,” Walker’s statement said. “I understand that my position as a professional footballer brings the responsibility of being a role model. As such, I want to apologize to my family, friends, football club, supporters and the public for letting them down.”

“My actions in this matter are in direct contrast to what I should have been doing regarding the lockdown. And I want to reiterate the message: Stay home, stay safe,” the statement said.

Manchester City plan to investigate Walker’s conduct.

“Manchester City FC are aware of a story in a tabloid newspaper regarding the private life of Kyle Walker in relation to a breach of the UK lockdown and social distancing rules,” a club statement said. “Footballers are global role models, and our staff and players have been working to support the incredible efforts of the NHS [National Health Service] and other key workers in fighting the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in any way we can. Kyle’s actions in this matter have directly contravened these efforts. We are disappointed to hear the allegations, note Kyle’s swift statement and apology, and will be conducting an internal disciplinary procedure in the coming days.”

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title: Virus Outbreak: NZ not halting virus curbs yet

content_text:
HOMEWARD BOUND:
 Germans stuck in New Zealand readied to fly home on chartered flights as the director-general of health said the increase in cases has begun leveling off

New Zealand would stick to its tough curbs to combat COVID-19, despite some early signs the spread of the illness has been stabilizing, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday.

The country’s 67 new infections were the lowest in five days, taking its tally to just more than 1,100. New Zealand has reported one death.

“Our actions for the remainder of the period in level four will be about doubling down to ensure the gains made in the first half are not squandered in the second,” Ardern told reporters in Wellington.

German tourist Steffen Schmieg speaks on a phone inside New Zealand’s Christchurch Airport as he waits to check in for a charter flight back to Germany yesterday.
 Photo: AP

Level-four curbs allow people to take walks or go to supermarkets for essentials, but they are required to stay 2m apart.

“I don’t want New Zealand to be at level four for a minute longer than needed, but equally there is no plan to move from level four early,” Ardern added.

New Zealand started a four-week total lockdown of its population of about 5 million 12 days ago, and declared a national emergency to slow the spread of the virus.

People have been told to stay home with all non-essential services, schools and offices shut for a month, amid warnings that offenders face large fines and even jail.

Nearly half of New Zealand’s cases are related to overseas travel, with cases of community transmission accounting for about 2 percent.

The increase in cases is leveling off and exponential growth has been avoided, New Zealand Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told a separate briefing.

“The only way to ensure the numbers will drop is to keep doing what we are doing,” he said.

Meanwhile, German tourist Steffen Schmieg joked that his last option for getting home from New Zealand was to swim.

Schmieg is among an estimated 100,000 tourists who found themselves stranded in New Zealand after it went into lockdown.

Late last week, officials relaxed the rules enough to allow tourists to begin catching connecting domestic flights and for charter flights to start operating.

About 12,000 Germans have signed up for a repatriation program and yesterday, Schmieg joined dozens of other Germans at the Christchurch Airport to catch a flight back to Frankfurt. The flight was chartered by the German government.

Schmieg, 26, said he traveled to New Zealand a month ago to visit a friend and tour the country.

He managed to see his friend in time, but has been holed up at an Airbnb since the lockdown began.

“I’ve been doing nothing,” he said. “Chilling, relaxing, eating too much.”

He said New Zealand was a safe place to stay and he was never too worried about getting home: “It’s been sweet as,” he said, using a local phrase that means everything is okay.

About as many British tourists as Germans have registered with officials as they also try to get home. Yet unlike Germany, Britain’s government is not planning any charter flights from New Zealand or Australia at this point, and is instead encouraging people to book one of the few commercial flights that are still available.

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content_text:
Credit Suisse Group AG has dropped off the initial public offering (IPO) of one of China’s top online healthcare start-ups, dealing a fresh blow to its business taking companies in the region public after the Swiss bank was sued for its role on Luckin Coffee Inc’s (瑞幸咖啡) US share sale.

The Swiss bank is no longer working on the WeDoctor (微醫) deal, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private.

Credit Suisse was picked alongside JPMorgan Chase & Co and CMB International to lead the share sale, which was expected to happen before the end of the year, Bloomberg News reported last month.

WeDoctor aims to raise between US$500 million and US$1 billion, a person familiar with the matter has said.

A representative for Credit Suisse declined to comment, while a representative for WeDoctor said that the company is still choosing partners and has not finalized the banks for the share sale.

Credit Suisse’s exit comes at a difficult time for the bank, which last week was hit with a shareholder suit alleging that Luckin Coffee and several underwriters made false and misleading statements that caused its stock price to be inflated.

Credit Suisse was among the coffee chain’s IPO underwriters named in the complaint.

Luckin’s shares have lost almost 80 percent since saying its chief operating officer and some of its employees might have fabricated billions of yuan in sales.

WeDoctor, backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊), joins a growing contingent of tech giants hoping to revolutionize the traditional healthcare industry after the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the shortcomings. The company is on the prowl for expansion capital and this year laid the foundation for a public debut by hiring John Cai (蔡強), formerly chief executive officer for AIA Group Ltd’s operations in markets including China, Malaysia and Vietnam.

The start-up, whose business spans from insurance policies and medical supplies to online appointment-booking and clinics, was valued at about US$5.5 billion in a 2018 funding round.

The Hong Kong IPO market has slowed amid the worst stock market rout in more than 30 years. Companies have raised about US$1.8 billion via first-time share sales in the territory so far this year, a 34 percent drop from the same period a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

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title: Credit Suisse drops off planned IPO for WeDoctor in HK


title: Apple to ship 1 million face shields per week

content_text:
Apple Inc has said it will soon be producing 1 million face shields a week for medical workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tech giant had already sourced 20 million surgical masks from around the world to help address a global shortage, Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook said in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday.

However, the company had also designed its own transparent protective face shield and begun mass production at its factories in the US and China, Cook said.

“We plan to ship over 1 million by the end of this week,” Cook said.

Initial distribution would be focused on the US, but the company hoped to “quickly expand distribution” to other countries, he said.

Apple joins several global firms that have modified their production lines to meet demand for protective gear, including Italian luxury brand Prada SpA.

US President Donald Trump last month issued a federal order forcing auto giant General Motors Co to manufacture ventilators after a shortage of the hospital equipment, which is crucial for treating critical COVID-19 cases.

Tesla Inc engineers showed footage of a prototype ventilator the company is trying to make with auto parts amid a shortage of the machines.

According to the video on Tesla’s YouTube channel, the design includes a touch screen, computer and control system from a Model 3 electric car.

Tesla is taking advantage of components that are familiar, reliable and available, an engineer says in the video.

Meanwhile, a Japanese medical equipment maker said it has been approached by the Japanese government to mass produce its animal ventilators to treat people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus and that other countries have also expressed interest.

Metran Co chief executive officer Kazufuku Nitta said the approach was made late last month and that the US, Britain and India were among more than 30 countries the company is talking to.

Privately held Metran also makes ventilators for people, but Nitta said its veterinary devices are simpler and so are one-10th of the cost to produce and easier to operate.

“In a pandemic, there won’t be enough doctors with expert knowledge on site,” Nitta told reporters in an interview at Metran’s factory in Kawaguchi, north of Tokyo.

“A simple and a safe machine is needed for doctors who are not familiar with the device,” he said.

The company is considering a system to produce 5,000 to 15,000 of its animal respirators, Nitta said, without providing a time frame.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Bloomberg

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title: Incentive to build a greener world

content_text:
As COVID-19 rages across the globe, many countries in Europe and South America, as well as New Zealand, are under lockdown, human activity has decreased significantly and economic activity has slowed.

However, the pandemic has given the planet some much-needed respite.

According to a recent article on the NASA Earth Observatory Web site, which publishes satellite images, the spread of COVID-19 has brought the Chinese economy to a halt, and NASA’s and the European Space Agency’s satellites have recorded a significant and unprecedented reduction in air pollution across China.

Moreover, there have been reports in international media that the lockdown in Italy also has led to less water pollution. As the coronavirus keeps visitors and canal boats away, the water in Venice’s canals is much cleaner and clearer, with fish visible in the water.

In France, air pollution has dropped by 20 to 30 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 60 percent as the lockdown has resulted in innumerable vehicles having stopped and the number of flights at two airports having been reduced dramatically.

In just a few months, the pandemic has had a remarkable effect on Earth. This is not so difficult to understand. Modern economic development is built on consumerism, which creates economic cycles by encouraging and expanding consumption. This used to work well, and has greatly improved the material life of all human beings.

However, the infinite expansion of human desire has created problems as mass production uses up massive resources, and manufacturing creates massive amounts of waste and pollution.

Surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic is providing strong evidence to support this view.

It is time that people become more aware and vigilant. They should declare war on ever-present consumerism and teach the younger generation that “thrift is virtue,” and raise their awareness of consumerism’s effect on the ecology and the human living environment, such as worsening environmental pollution, the depletion of natural resources and the loss of biodiversity.

Hopefully, the pandemic will inspire everyone to think and act, and to find a balance between economic development and ecological and environmental protection for the sake of Taiwan’s future.

Wei Shih-chang is a software engineer.

Translated by Lin Lee-kai

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content_text:
Children in Taiwan lacking daily play time, survey finds

Nearly 40 percent of children in Taiwan spend less than an hour a day playing, while 40 percent of children aged nine to 12 spend their free time playing online games, a survey released on Monday last week by the Child Welfare League Foundation showed.

Although the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF recommends that every child have at least one hour of play time every day to promote healthy development, 37.7 percent of children aged six to nine in Taiwan have less than an hour of free play every day and 40 percent of children aged nine to 12 play for no more than one hour per day, the foundation said.

The survey also showed that 43.7 percent of elementary-school students have less than one hour of play time during weekdays and usually only play on weekends.

As children grow, they generally spend more time at school, doing homework and taking part in extracurricular activities, leaving little time for leisure activities, the foundation said.

The survey also showed that 40 percent of children aged nine to 12 often play online games and 80 percent of parents consider such games to fall within the scope of “free play.”

Children playing video games passively receive a large amount of audio-visual information, but they seldom have opportunities for active participation or creative play, the foundation said.

The survey also showed that more than 40 percent of parents spend at least five days a week playing with their children, while 15.3 percent seldom or never play with their children.

In addition, only 54.3 percent of children regularly go to outdoor areas, such as parks, while 38 percent regularly visit indoor places, such as supermarkets, shopping centers, department stores or convenience stores.

The survey was conducted by the foundation from Dec. 24 last year to Jan. 22, using online questionnaires sent to parents of children aged one to 12. A total of 707 valid samples were collected.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Holiday, weekend living guidelines needed, legislator says

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) yesterday urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to issue “guidelines for living” for people to follow on weekends and holidays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Ho Chi-kung (何啟功) at a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, Su said that before the Children’s Day and Tomb Sweeping Day holiday from Thursday to Sunday, she had advised the ministry to set guidelines on how people should spend the four-day break.

While the ministry asked people to practice social distancing, it fell short of telling people to stay home during the holiday, she said.

“We had originally looked forward to being able to breathe a sigh of relief after this spring break,” she said.

“Now, not only are we not relieved, everyone is more tense,” she said.

After the Central Epidemic Command Center on Saturday sent two text messages warning people to avoid crowded areas and to follow social distancing regulations — at least 1.5m apart indoors and 1m outdoors — people were “very obedient,” Su said.

Roads became empty the day after the messages were sent, she said.

She said she hoped the ministry would set clearer guidelines on what people should do during the upcoming Labor Day weekend and on weekends, and ask people to try to stay home during the pandemic.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), also a committee member, asked the health ministry to explore the feasibility of working with the Ministry of Education to allow students to pick up their purchases of masks at school.

Many people still have to wait in line to buy masks at pharmacies, Wu said.

With parents at work and children at school, it is often the grandparents who are standing in line, he said.

Ho said while the health ministry would consider the proposal, it might result in the education ministry having to “spend more effort.”

DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), another committee member, raised the importance of including the homeless population in the fight against the coronavirus.

Homeless people often gather in transportation hubs like Taipei Railway Station — the same places people returning from abroad often pass through — and might be more vulnerable than others to contracting the virus, he said.

They might also be physically weaker due to spending long periods of time outdoors, he said.

He urged the health ministry to help keep homeless people up to date on the latest information about the pandemic and to make washing facilities more accessible to them.

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people: 吳斯懷 蘇巧慧 洪申翰


content_text:
Sales at food and drink businesses that offer delivery services grew 5.2 percent in the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

However, food and drink businesses that do not provide delivery services suffered an 8 percent year-on-year fall in revenue during the same period, the ministry said.

About 53.8 percent of the nation’s food and drink businesses provide delivery services, the ministry said, citing an annual survey showing that 47.1 percent of businesses provided the service last year and 40.1 percent in 2018.

Overall, the nation’s food and beverage sector posted its slowest year-on-year growth in 17 years in the first two months, with sales growing 0.5 percent to NT$141.5 billion (US$4.68 billion) as the COVID-19 pandemic kept most people at home, the ministry said.

Food and beverage businesses that provide delivery services were downbeat about their sales for last month, with 88 percent forecasting an average 24.8 percent year-on-year decline, the survey showed.

Among businesses without delivery services, 95.3 percent forecast an average fall of 31.6 percent from a year earlier, it showed.

With more people reluctant to dine out due to the coronavirus outbreak, more are cooking at home, boosting sales at supermarkets and hypermarkets, the ministry said.

In the first two months of this year, sales at supermarkets and hypermarkets rose 15.1 percent and 10.8 percent respectively from a year earlier, it said.

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title: Food and beverage sector growth slowest in 17 years


title: TAIEX rises on hopes of oil production agreement

companies: Apple 台積電

content_text:
OPTIMISM:
 The index moved in tandem with rebounds in Hong Kong and Tokyo, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures signaled a good start on Wall Street

The TAIEX yesterday closed sharply higher after buying was sparked by optimism that major crude oil producers would reach an agreement to cut production in a bid to shore up prices, dealers said.

The petrochemical sector got a significant boost from the optimism toward a possible output reduction deal, while large-cap shares, in particular in the bellwether electronics sector, regained their footing from the doldrums on Wednesday last week, the last trading session ahead of the Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend, dealers added.

The TAIEX closed up 155.11 points, or 1.61 percent, at the day’s high of 9,818.74. Turnover was NT$149.789 billion (US$4.95 billion).

Foreign institutional investors bought a net NT$2.21 billion of shares after a net sell of NT$5.81 billion the previous session, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.

The market moved in tandem with a rebound on regional markets such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul, as well as Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, which rose 3.4 percent at one point, signaling a good start on Wall Street later in the day.

In the petrochemical sector, shares of Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑) rose 4.3 percent to close at NT$77.6, Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) shares added 3.08 percent to close at NT$80.4, Nan Ya Plastics Corp (南亞塑膠) shares gained 2.98 percent to close at NT$55.3 and Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp (台灣化纖) shares rose 2.72 percent to close at NT$68.

Buying was also seen among large-cap technology shares, led by contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電).

TSMC shares rose 1.47 percent to close at the day’s high of NT$275.5 and led the electronics sector and the semiconductor subindices 1.79 percent and 1.78 percent higher respectively.

Shares of Largan Precision Co (大立光), a supplier of smartphone camera lenses to Apple Inc, rose 2.66 percent to close at NT$3,860 after the company reported revenue of NT$5.44 billion last month, up 48.22 percent from a month earlier.

“Largan benefited from Chinese brand Huawei Technologies Co (華為), which unveiled a new model in March, but without a new product debut in April, Largan could see its sales falling in the month,” Tachan Securities Co (大展證券) analyst Jerry Chen said.

Elsewhere, shares of food conglomerate Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業) rose 5.99 percent to close at NT$69, while those of China Steel Corp (中鋼), the nation’s largest steelmaker, gained 2.39 percent to close at NT$19.25.

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content_text:
By Liu Hsiao-hsin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A pop-up card designed by illustrator Tonn Hsu (許彤) depicting Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) has become popular on social media.

Chen heads the Central Epidemic Command Center, which is in charge of combating the spread of COVID-19.

A survey released late last month by the New Power Party showed that Chen had an approval rating of 79.9 percent.

A pop-up card depicting Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung, designed by illustrator Tonn Hsu, is pictured on Sunday in Changhua County.
 Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times

After Hsu shared images of the card with her Facebook fan page — along with printable images containing empty voice balloons for fans to fill in their own messages — several fans left replies and photographs of their printouts.

One fan — a high-school student — wrote “Pass with flying colors” in the message balloon to encourage fellow students ahead of annual tests.

“This is super therapeutic,” another student wrote in response.

An undated photograph shows latte art featuring the likeness of Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung made by Changhua County cafe owner Chen Ming-hsiung.
 Photo courtesy of Chen Ming-hsiung

Another fan wrote that they liked the card so much they printed 10 copies.

“It looks so real. After you fold it together and place it on your desk, it looks like Chen Shih-chung is really there in front of you holding a news conference,” they wrote.

Another fan said that they would print a copy and leave it on their coworker’s desk with a message reminding them of good health practices.

“I’m going to write: ‘When you sneeze, please cover your mouth,’” they wrote.

Others said they used the cards to share general messages of good health, peace and safety.

In Changhua, cafe owner Chen Ming-hsiung (陳明雄) shared images online of his latte art depicting the minister’s likeness.

Speaking with reporters on March 3, Chen Ming-hsiung (陳明雄) said he felt very proud of the nation’s achievements in managing the spread of COVID-19, and wanted to thank the minister.

Chen Shih-chung had brought honor to Taiwan, which was once predicted to be one of the countries that would be most affected by the disease, but has instead been donating supplies to other countries, demonstrating the nation’s prowess in disease prevention to the world, he said.

Having always loved painting as a child, Chen Ming-hsiung was excited when he first encountered latte art and learned he could bring his love of art into his business.

Over the past six years he has made more than 8,000 cups of coffee with latte art, he said, adding that his depiction of Chen Shih-chung was cup 8,635.

In making the latte art of Chen Shih-chung he started by drawing the image on paper with a pen, and then again on paper with espresso, before finally taking on the challenge of drawing it in the foam of a latte, he said, adding that it took him 15 minutes to complete it.

When others saw the photograph of the latte art they immediately recognized it as Chen Shih-chung, he said.

“This is one cup of coffee that can stop COVID-19,” he said.

people: 陳時中 陳明雄

title: Virus Outbreak: Popular minister inspires pop art


content_text:
GLOBAL CUTS:
 CEO Warren East said the firm’s focus was on strengthening financial resilience, so it would likely reduce salary costs by at least 10% this year

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC is scrapping its targets and final dividend to shore up its finances as the British aero-engine maker’s customers around the world ground planes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rolls-Royce, one of Britain’s most historic industrial names, which before the pandemic struck was trying to emerge from a multiyear turnaround plan, has suspended its dividend for the first time since 1987.

The company’s engines power Airbus SE and Boeing Co’s widebody jets, but more than 60 percent of that fleet is now grounded, according to aviation data provider Cirium.

People inspect a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engine on an Airbus A350-900 at the International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport on June 17 last year.
 Photo: Reuters

Rolls-Royce is paid by airlines based on how many hours they fly.

Over the past six weeks, the headwind from the novel coronavirus was about ￡300 million (US$369 million) on flying hours that were 50 percent lower last month and expected to deteriorate further this month, Rolls-Royce said.

Rolls-Royce chief executive officer Warren East said that the company’s focus was on strengthening its financial resilience and as such it would be looking at cutting its cash expenditure, including reducing salary costs across its global workforce by at least 10 percent this year.

The company yesterday said that it had secured an additional ￡1.5 billion revolving credit facility, bringing its overall liquidity to ￡6.7 billion, to give it headroom during a potentially prolonged downturn.

Withdrawing its previously announced guidance for this year and noting the ongoing uncertain outlook, Rolls-Royce said that its board was no longer recommending its final dividend in respect of last year, saving ￡137 million.

The company said actions to reduce costs, including on non-critical capital expenditure projects, and salary cuts and deferrals for senior managers, would have a cashflow benefit of at least ￡750 million this year.

Rolls-Royce also warned that it was anticipating a reduction in engine delivery, and maintenance and overhaul volumes, affecting its revenue in the longer term.

The group’s power systems business, which supplies industrial customers, is expected to weaken this year, the company said.

Jefferies Group LLC analyst Sandy Morris said that Rolls-Royce’s update should give investors confidence in the company’s ability to cope with the downturn.

“There is plenty of liquidity. There are no worrying developments,” Morris said.

Shares in Rolls-Royce were up 13 percent at ￡2.84 in early trading. The stock has lost 55 percent over the past month.

Rolls-Royce relies on aerospace for just over half of its annual revenue, which was about ￡15 billion last year, deriving the rest from its defense and power systems businesses.

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title: Rolls-Royce scraps final dividend


content_text:
RECESSION WATCH:
 The finance minister said that the situation amid the pandemic was fluid and uncertain, and the government was ready to provide further support

Singapore yesterday announced S$5.1 billion (US$3.55 billion) in additional economic spending, such as wage support, waiver of levies and one-off payments, to combat a downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is an unprecedented budget for extraordinary times,” Singaporean Minister of Finance Heng Swee Keat (王瑞傑) told parliament just over a week after the city-state unveiled more than US$30 billion in new support measures as it braces for its worst recession.

On Friday, Singapore said it would close schools and most workplaces for a month as part of stricter measures to curb a recent jump in infections. Singapore has reported a total of 1,309 infections and six deaths from the novel coronavirus.

Security and police officers screen people outside the Westlite Dormitory in Singapore yesterday.
 Photo: Reuters

The new measures unveiled in the third budget would increase the total spending on coronavirus relief to S$59.9 billion, or 12 percent of GDP, Heng said.

Singapore would draw an additional S$4 billion from its past reserves to fund the new measures, he said.

“The situation remains highly fluid and uncertain. The government stands ready to provide further support should it become necessary,” Heng said.

Singapore’s overall budget deficit for financial year 2020 is expected to increase to S$44.3 billion, or 8.9 percent of GDP, he said.

Separately, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is to pledge to take “all steps” encompassing fiscal, monetary and tax policies to battle the deepening fallout from the pandemic in a stimulus package to be approved today, a draft document showed.

Abe has pledged to craft an “unprecedented” stimulus package to respond to the global downturn inflicted by the pandemic, which would exceed the size of one compiled in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis totaling ￥56 trillion (US$514 billion) in size, with fiscal spending of ￥15 trillion.

Neither the size of the package nor the amount of fiscal measures has yet been determined, according to the draft prepared by the government, but in a measure of how seriously the government views the situation, the document refers to the pandemic as the “biggest crisis” the global economy has faced since World War II.

The draft package features direct payments to households and financial backstops to companies, highlighting extensive damage from the virus, which has fueled fears of a recession, while the government looks set to declare a state of emergency.

The spending plan includes subsidies for households with children, cash payouts to small and medium-sized firms to help them continue business operations, and arrangements to allow them to borrow at 0 percent interest and without collateral from private financial institutions.

To fund the package, the government would issue deficit-covering bonds, adding further strain to the industrial world’s heaviest public debt at more than twice the size of its US$5 trillion economy.

Sources told reporters last week that Japan would boost government bond issuance by ￥16 trillion to about ￥145 trillion to be sold in the market this fiscal year, which would mark the first rise in annual bond issuance in four years.

The package draft also aims to boost production of Fujifilm Holding Corp’s Avigan anti-flu drug during this fiscal year so it can be used to treat 2 million people.

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title: Singapore adds to its spending plan


content_text:
Taiwan should brace for more job losses than during the SARS epidemic in 2003, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the service sector, and export orders shrink amid worldwide lockdowns and a weakening global economy.

Hidden unemployment numbers had already climbed to 160,000 in February — the highest in about nine years — while restrictions on people’s movement at home and abroad have curtailed industrial production and commercial activities, a Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) survey showed.

Hidden unemployment, which is excluded from the official unemployment numbers, affects people who still have a job, but face reduced working hours or pay cuts, such as workers who are forced to take unpaid leave because of disruptions to production lines or temporary store shutdowns.

Unemployed people who are looking for work are also not counted in official unemployment statistics.

If the hidden categories were included, Taiwan’s unemployment rate for February would have jumped to 4.95 percent — the highest in three years — compared with the official figure of 2.7 percent, DGBAS data showed.

The Ministry of Labor expects the number of furloughed workers to soar to more than 20,000 this year, from 8,000, after the figure last month surged 26 percent year-on-year to its highest in eight years.

As the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to last longer than the SARS epidemic, which in Taiwan lasted for about four months in 2003, it is possible that its economic impact will magnify over time.

The service sector, restaurants and the hospitality industry have been hit the hardest, with occupancy rates at hotels plunging by 80 to 90 percent. Formosa International Hotels Corp chairman Steven Pan (潘思亮) has warned that the number of people on unpaid leave could reach an unprecedented scale as tourism grinds to a halt.

More than half a million Taiwanese work at restaurants and hotels, according to the DGBAS.

The virus might soon hit the manufacturing industry, which has not yet reported dramatic declines in revenue and profit, as the global economy has fared relatively well over the past few months, although it is expected to contract 1.9 percent this year due to the pandemic, Fitch Ratings said last week. Taiwan cannot be immune to this, given its export-oriented economy.

Local electronics supply chains might be the next to fall victim to the pandemic, as consumers become more conservative about spending on non-essential products such as smartphones, TVs and other electronics. Taiwan supplies key components and assembles hardware for well-known electronics vendors such as Apple Inc and Huawei Technology Co. Huawei has forecast a 20 percent annual decline in smartphone shipments this year, the first drop in the company’s history, news Web site The Information reported last month.

Taiwan has been doing well in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but there is no guarantee that it will continue to do so. The US is an example of how badly and quickly the pandemic can hit the labor market. About 6.65 million Americans claimed unemployment benefits in the first week of this month.

Taiwan’s government has earmarked NT$81.6 billion (US$2.7 billion) in an attempt to save 1.92 million people’s jobs. As the unemployment rate might worsen, the government should be prepared to expand the budget and provide supportive measures to help those in need.

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title: EDITORIAL: Support measures might not suffice


title: World Business Quick Take

content_text:
UNITED KINGDOM

‘Brolly’ fund approved

The EU yesterday gave the go ahead to a British scheme to provide a ￡50 billion (US$61.6 billion) “umbrella” to shield private businesses amid the COVID-19 epidemic. Britain has itself set aside a fund to provide direct grants and subsidized public loans to key businesses. The UK left the bloc at the end of January, but EU law still applies until the end of a post-Brexit transition period.

TRANSPORTATION

Car registrations fall

New car registrations in Britain last month fell by a 40 percent from a year earlier as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the economy and forced many would-be buyers to stay at home, preliminary data from an industry group showed yesterday. Sales totaled about 250,000 units, making it the weakest March since 1999. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders cut its sales forecast for this year by 23 percent to 1.73 million vehicles, which would be a 25 percent fall from last year.

REAL ESTATE

Emaar sells project share

Dubai’s state-backed developer Emaar yesterday said that it sold an 80 percent share of its district water cooling project around the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, for US$675 million as the city-state’s property market suffers from amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The sale to Tabreed, also known as National Central Cooling Co, had been rumored for months amid the property market slowdown. With the sale, Tabreed assumes majority ownership of a system of plants that cool the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opera and Dubai Mall during summer.

HONG KONG

Reversal prediction issued

Hong Kong could take six months to reverse the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Financial Secretary Paul Chan (陳茂波) said on Sunday, adding that the government would offer “comprehensive” aid to protect businesses and jobs across all industries. The retail and tourism sectors were initially among the hardest hit by the pandemic, but the effects have now spread to “virtually all industries,” Chan wrote in his blog. He called on landlords and big developers to take on more “social responsibility” by responding to public demands to reduce rent.

AUTOMAKERS

BMW deliveries drop

BMW AG’s first-quarter vehicle deliveries sank by about 21 percent to 477,111 as the COVID-19 pandemic closed showrooms all over the world and idled production lines. BMW brand vehicle sales in the first three months sank 20.1 percent, the automaker said in a statement yesterday. Group sales, which include the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, sank 20.6 percent. All major markets saw double-digit declines in the quarter. China dropped the most with 30.9 percent fewer vehicles sold there, the company said.

ENERGY

PetroVietnam tips profit fall

PetroVietnam’s net profit in the first quarter of this year likely fell 50.8 percent from a year earlier to 4.44 trillion dong (US$188.5 million) due to low oil prices and weak demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s state oil firm said on Sunday. Its revenue in the January-March period likely fell 13 percent to 88.3 trillion dong, the company, formally known as Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, said in a statement outlining its preliminary results.

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title: Moody’s tips GDP growth of 0.2%

content_text:
Taiwan’s GDP growth would slow to 0.2 percent this year as the COVID-19 pandemic would hurt the economy more severely than the government’s expanded relief measures could cover, Moody’s Investors Service said yesterday.

Moody’s said that the pandemic’s effect on the economy has escalated from a temporary supply-side disruption of cross-strait trade to a global economic downturn.

“The outbreak has evolved into a serious demand shock to Taiwan’s economy externally and domestically as the health crisis has swept the globe,” it said in a report.

Taipei 101 and other buildings are pictured in Xinyi District in an undated photograph.
 Photo: Liberty Times

Taiwan is highly exposed to a global downturn because of its reliance on trade and cyclical industries. Export orders declined by 12.7 percent in February, the sharpest drop since May 2009.

Exports contribute approximately 50 percent of GDP, with the world’s two largest economies — China and the US — being the main destinations for Taiwanese goods, it said.

That explains why production halts due to quarantine measures in China at the start of the outbreak had sharply negative repercussions on economic activity in Taiwan given its deep integration into the regional supply chain, it said.

An anticipated drastic slowdown in China’s economic growth to 3.3 percent this year coupled with an estimated 2 percent contraction in growth in the US would weigh on demand for Taiwanese products, it said.

“We expect weak exports this year because most Taiwanese exports are destined for advanced economies in the West that have much dimmer growth outlooks themselves,” Moody’s said.

Moody’s expects business closures, social-distancing requirements and self-imposed quarantining to have a chilling effect on household spending in Taiwan, leading to weakness in the local labor market.

The number of furloughed workers nearly doubled to 8,000 last month from the beginning of the month, while a sharp slowdown in tourism, which accounts for about 2 percent of GDP, would further depress economic activity, it said.

Last week, the government expanded a relief and stimulus package to NT$1.05 trillion (US$34.73 billion), or 5.5 percent of GDP.

However, Moody’s said that the relief measures — which include subsidies and tax breaks for businesses, individuals and organizations — would mitigate the effects of the pandemic, but would not save exports.

Even so, Taiwan’s healthy fiscal position, with a debt burden of about 35 percent of GDP last year, would allow the government to support the economy without threatening its fiscal prudence, Moody’s said, adding that domestic savings also provide an affordable source of financing even as government borrowing increases.

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title: Virus Outbreak: China sees rise in asymptomatic cases

content_text:
RETURNEES A CONCERN:
 The Chinese embassy in Washington is helping arrange charter flights to repatriate students studying in the US, starting with the youngest

China reported 39 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday, up from 30 a day earlier, and the number of asymptomatic cases also surged, as Beijing continued to struggle to extinguish the outbreak despite drastic containment efforts.

The Chinese National Health Commission said in a statement on Monday that 78 new asymptomatic cases had been identified as of the end of the day on Sunday, compared with 47 the day before.

Imported cases and asymptomatic patients, who show no symptoms but can still pass the virus to others, have become China’s top concern in recent weeks after draconian containment measures succeeded in slashing the overall infection rate.

A couple wearing masks and visor hats arrive yesterday at the railway station in Wuhan, China.
 Photo: AFP

Hubei Province, the original epicenter of the outbreak, accounted for almost half of the new asymptomatic cases, the provincial health authority said.

A total of 705 people with asymptomatic cases were under medical observation around China.

The surge in asymptomatic cases, which China only began reporting last week, poses a worry as the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan prepares to allow people to leave the city tomorrow for the first time since it was locked down in late January.

Hubei began easing travel curbs late last month, part of China’s wider effort to get the economy back on track even as it tries to prevent a second wave of infections.

Wuhan officials revoked the “epidemic-free” status of 45 residential compounds due to the emergence of asymptomatic cases and for other unspecified reasons, according to a report yesterday by Xinhua news agency.

“Epidemic-free” status allows people living in a compound in Wuhan to leave their homes for two hours at a time.

China has reported a total of 82,641 cases, with 3,331 deaths.

China has closed off its borders to foreigners as the virus spreads globally, though most imported cases have involved Chinese returning from overseas.

Of the new cases showing symptoms, 38 were people who had entered China from abroad, compared with 25 a day earlier.

Of those, 20 had arrived Heilongjiang Province from Russia, the provincial government said.

All were Chinese citizens who had flown from Moscow to Vladivostok, including 12 who were on the same flight on Thursday, and traveled to China by road.

Another possible source of infection is the 1.6 million or so Chinese citizens who study overseas.

Preparations are under way to arrange charter flights to bring home Chinese students studying in the US, starting with the youngest, the Chinese embassy in Washington said.

One new local infection was reported in the latest data, in Guangdong Province, down from five a day earlier in the province.

The new locally transmitted case, in Shenzhen, was a person who had travelled from Hubei Province, Guangdong provincial authorities said.

The Guangdong health commission late on Sunday raised the risk level for a total of four districts in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Jieyang from low to medium.

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title: Reims doctor commits suicide after virus diagnosis

content_text:
Stade de Reims on Sunday were in mourning for long-serving club doctor Bernard Gonzalez, who committed suicide after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

“Devastated, Reims cries for Bernard Gonzalez,” a statement released by the Ligue 1 club said. “Not just the club, but also hundreds of men and women in Reims.”

Reims Mayor Arnaud Robinet said that he had been made aware of the suicide of the 60-year-old, who had worked at the club for more than 20 years, by the local prefecture.

“I was told doctor Gonzalez had left a note in which he mentioned that he had tested positive for COVID-19,” Robinet said.

A medical source also confirmed the existence of the letter, but added that the doctor had appeared “to be in good shape two days ago.”

“I am shocked by his death because he was someone I had known for many years,” Robinet said. “No only was he the club doctor, but he was also the GP [general practitioner] of many people in Reims. He was known for his human and professional qualities. He will be missed by the football family and all those in Reims who met him.”

Stade de Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot said that he was “stunned” by the news.

“This pandemic has struck Reims in the heart. A great personality and great professional of the sport has left us,” Caillot said.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic is continuing to create a puzzle for French soccer and, for the moment, those in charge have no idea what the answer might be.

The idea of simply declaring the season over is gaining ground in some quarters, but others remain strongly opposed to the suggestion.

The top flight and second division have already been suspended for three weeks, with 10 rounds of matches to play, and many of the leading voices are no longer saying that it should finish “whatever the cost.”

“There are more uncertainties today,” Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas — an early advocate of ending the league and basing European qualification on last season’s final placings which would put his seventh-placed team in the UEFA Champions League — told L’Equipe on Sunday.

The chances of “finishing all the matches [are] lower,” he said.

Stade Brestois 29 president Denis Le Sant told the same paper that “the season could not start again.”

Amiens SC president Bernard Joannin, whose side are 19th in the table, agreed.

“Denis Le Saint has a very humane position that places the health of all above everything else. It’s a view that’s shared by a lot of people in the world of football,” Joannin said. “You have to understand that the only commander is COVID-19. Unfortunately, it sets the agenda.”

Others were outraged.

“We hope that the league will finish if it’s possible. It really bothers me to see in some people a kind of shame that football wants to come back to life at some point,” Le Havre AC general manager Pierre Wantiez said. “I’m not going to hide behind a veil of secrecy and say: ‘It’s over, we can’t do anything.’ Let’s wait before saying the season is dead.”

The situation is confusing leaders across the game.

The lockdown in France has been extended until at least Wednesday next week. Most clubs have put staff, including players, on part-time contracts and some of the league’s foreign stars, including Brazil’s Neymar, have gone home.

Broadcasters Canal+ and beIN Sports have suspended the payment of TV rights, the clubs’ main source of revenue. In that context, the French league is increasing the frequency of its conference calls, but delaying its decisions.

“Today, who can say what’s going to happen? We’re preparing for everything. For the time being, I think it’s urgent to wait,” said Dijon FCO president Olivier Delcourt, whose side are three points above the relegation playoff spot.

Joannin said he would like the league to follow the French government’s lead.

“There’s no point in talking and saying nothing,” Joannin said. “Let’s take the time... We need to give ourselves two weeks to see how things are going.”

The issue of TV rights is to be addressed this week by a quartet of club presidents, led by Paris Saint-Germain’s Nasser al-Khelaifi, who is also head of beIN Media, and several sources confirmed negotiations with Canal+ are also planned.

The timetable depends on the decision of the French government on when to end the lockdown and, to a lesser degree, FIFA and UEFA.

FIFA has to change the way the summer transfer market works, because players whose contracts end this season would become free agents at the end of June. UEFA has shown itself open to postponing its Champions League until the end of July or August to allow the domestic leagues to finish, but has also threatened to bar clubs from leagues that do not finish.

Some officials argue a “deadline” for the resumption of the league must be set quickly.

“A resumption of the season until doomsday should not push the problem onto the next championship,” Wantiez said.

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content_text:
On March 20, the Control Yuan impeached Taoyuan District Court judge He Yu-chen (何宇宸) for threatening an accused with detention to obtain a confession and acting as his wife’s advocate in a separate lawsuit in contravention of the Judges Act (法官法).

Although the impeachment still needs to be adjudicated by the Court of the Judiciary, the investigation process has shown that the elimination system established by the act is difficult to put into practice.

After 20 years of deliberation, the act was finally passed by the Legislative Yuan on June 14, 2011, and it took effect a year later.

An important mechanism created by the act is the Judicial Evaluation Committee, which serves as the first and most important stage for the elimination of incompetent judges by external committee members.

According to Paragraph 1, Article 33 of the act, the committee “shall be composed of three judges, one prosecutor, three attorneys, as well as four scholars and societal representatives.”

Formally, seven of the 11 members are law professionals, so it is questionable whether the committee can be seen as “external in nature.”

The He impeachment is a case in point. It was the Judicial Reform Foundation that submitted the petition asking the committee for an evaluation. However, the committee did not seem to find anything seriously wrong with He threatening the accused with detention.

After He admitted fault, the committee did not forward the petition to the Control Yuan, but to the Judicial Yuan’s Judicial Personnel Review Committee, which is merely self-regulatory.

At this point, the Judicial Personnel Review Committee found that He was also at fault for acting as his wife’s advocate and forwarded the petition to the Control Yuan.

This raises an important question: To what end was the Judicial Evaluation Committee established?

Last year’s amendment to the first paragraph of Article 33 — which is to take effect in July — will increase the number of societal representatives in the evaluation committee from four to six, still less than half of the committee.

Subparagraph 4, Paragraph 1, Article 34 stipulates that “scholars and societal representatives are appointed by the president of the Judicial Yuan, with nomination by the Ministry of Justice and the national bar association.”

How much more external the amendment would make the committee is even more questionable.

A similar problem appears in the composition of the Court of the Judiciary, which holds the power to issue final rulings.

According to Paragraph 1, Article 48 of the act, the court “shall be conducted by a panel with the chief commissioner of the Public Functionary Disciplinary Sanction Commission as the division chief judge and four judges as associate judges.”

All five panel members are judges. No matter how far they can distance themselves from the accused, the public will always suspect that they are shielding each another. Due to these concerns, perhaps, last year’s amendment stipulates that the court panel should also comprise external members.

Although there will be two external members on the panel, they will not have a substantial effect, because the adjudication is made by majority vote. More importantly, external members are “scholars and societal representatives” recommended by the Judicial Selection Committee and commissioned by the Judicial Yuan president.

Only time will tell whether the external members will be able to fully play their roles in weeding out incompetent judges or be merely ornamental.

Wu Ching-chin is an associate law professor at Aletheia University.

Translated by Chang Ho-ming

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title: Committee’s externality suspect in judge cases


title: F1 must change: McLaren boss

content_text:
‘VERY FRAGILE STATE’:
 Zak Brown said that four F1 teams could disappear if the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic is not handled the right way

Formula One is in “a very fragile state” due to the COVID-19 pandemic and risks losing some of its 10 teams unless some big changes are made, McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said on Sunday.

The season has yet to start, with two races — including the showcase Monaco Grand Prix — canceled and six postponed.

The sport has already made some changes, including postponing a planned major technical rule change from next year to 2022 and agreeing teams would use the same cars next year, but Brown said more was needed.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc arrives at the track in Melbourne on March 12 ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. The race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Photo: AFP

“Could I see — through what is going on right now in the world if we don’t tackle this situation head on very aggressively — two teams disappearing? Yeah,” the American told the BBC. “In fact, I could see four teams disappearing if this isn’t handled the right way.”

The economic and health situation means that it should not be assumed anyone would be lining up to take over any struggling teams, Brown said.

“I don’t think the timing could be worse from that standpoint,” he said. “So I think F1 is in a very fragile state at the moment.”

McLaren last week became the first team to put staff on furlough, while ratings agency Moody’s changed Formula One’s outlook to negative from positive.

Team bosses were due to discuss cost-saving plans on a call yesterday.

A US$150 million budget cap, still well above the spending levels of some smaller teams, is due to come into force next year, but Brown said that there was a push for it to be reduced further — possibly to US$100 million.

“You have everyone at US$150 million, and the strong majority — including one of the big teams — willing to come substantially under US$150 million,” he said, adding that there has also been some discussion about a further postponement of the technical rule changes to 2023.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on Sunday was a dominant winner on his F1 e-sports debut, while World Cup-winning England cricketer Ben Stokes brought up the rear in a virtual Vietnamese Grand Prix.

The 28-lap race was the second in a series organized to provide some entertainment for fans starved of real-life action due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix was originally scheduled for Sunday, but the virtual race, with the 20 drivers joining remotely from their homes, was staged on a version of Melbourne’s Albert Park.

The Hanoi street circuit is not yet available on the official F1 video game.

“It was unbelievably hard,” said Leclerc, who led from start to finish and took the checkered flag 14.094 seconds clear of Danish Renault junior Christian Lundgaard, with Williams F1 driver George Russell in third place.

“We are sitting on a chair, so there is not even the G-force we have in a real car, but I am sweating like crazy,” added Leclerc, the winner of two races last year in his first season with Ferrari. “The muscles are not hurting, but the concentration and everything, I’ve been sweating a lot.”

Leclerc’s 19-year-old brother, Arthur, was fourth for Ferrari, just ahead of Italian Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

Lundgaard would have started on pole, but was given a five-place penalty for exceeding track limits in qualifying.

Jenson Button, the retired 2009 world champion, was 11th, with McLaren teammate Lando Norris failing to start due to technical problems for the second race running.

Norris’ Twitch streaming platform still had more than 77,000 viewers at its peak, while more than 190,000 watched the official livestream on YouTube.

Stokes finished last, behind retired F1 driver Johnny Herbert, but the all-rounder acquitted himself well in a field that included six current F1 drivers and gave a cheerful thumbs up from his living room.

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content_text:
Virus Outbreak: Japan prepares for state of emergency over virus

NO LEGAL POWER:
 A state of emergency would allow local governments to seize property, but they cannot order people to stay home or fine them for going out

The Japanese government yesterday began preparing for the declaration of a state of emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak, as infections spike in the capital, Tokyo, and elsewhere.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was expected to meet late yesterday with a panel of experts advising the government on the global pandemic, with widespread reports that he would announce a state of emergency as soon as today.

The preparations come as infections grow steadily — although in far smaller numbers than in Europe or the US.

Tokyo announced a record 148 new cases on Sunday and pressure has increased on the government to take fresh action.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has already urged residents of the capital to avoid non-essential outings on weekends and to work from home during the week.

“We’ve not received anything formal, but we are preparing various things, assuming Tokyo will be designated,” she told reporters yesterday, when asked about a possible declaration.

The declaration would reportedly only cover parts of the country where infections are increasing rapidly, and falls far short of the strict lockdown measures seen elsewhere in the world.

It would allow governors of areas affected to ask, but not order, residents to stay home, and call on businesses that attract crowds to shut their doors.

It allows the commandeering of land and buildings for medical purposes.

However, there is no legal power to enforce requests for people to stay inside and no punishments mandated for those who fail to do so.

Public transport would continue to run, although reports yesterday said that Tokyo might ask train operators to reduce services by up to 50 percent, and supermarkets, banks and hospitals would remain open.

Experts say that Japan’s legal system restricts the government’s ability to limit the movement of citizens.

“Japan is still haunted by the negative legacy of the war [World War II] and the oppression of its citizens,” said Yoshinobu Yamamoto, an emeritus professor of international politics at the University of Tokyo.

However, he said if the relatively relaxed measures proved insufficient to curb the spread of the virus, “calls for a stronger power to control people may grow.”

“This case could be a touchstone,” he said.

Japan has so far been spared the sort of crisis seen in parts of Europe and the US, with about 3,650 cases across the country — compared with more than 335,000 in the US and about 130,000 in Italy and Spain.

It recorded its first infection in the middle of January, and Abe stunned the country by calling for nationwide school closures in February — far earlier than in many countries.

In the past few days, Tokyo’s streets have been noticeably quieter as residents heeded the request to stay home.

Many businesses have already announced voluntary, temporary closures.

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content_text:
How elite US college students brought
COVID-19 home from campus
Before returning to their homes, more than 100 Vanderbilt students went to parties, ignoring the school’s directive not to

Like many US colleges, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, last month announced that it was closing its dormitories and putting classes online because of the growing threat of COVID-19.

It said it was acting “out of an abundance of caution” after a local healthcare worker had tested positive for the disease.

The message was lost on many students.

Before leaving campus and returning to their homes and families throughout the US and abroad, more than 100 Vanderbilt students attended parties, ignoring the school’s explicit instructions not to do so. They crowded into apartment complexes and other locations, and posed for group photographs they posted on Instagram.

Many celebrated St Patrick’s Day six days early — on the same day New York City announced it was canceling its traditional annual parade.

One photo of a March 11 party, posted on Instagram and seen by reporters, shows a student in a makeshift hazmat suit, a black mask and green bowler hat with shamrocks, as a large group of students party in the background.

“I dare you to give me corona,” the picture’s caption reads. The photo’s location jokingly claims to be “Wuhan, China” — the origin of the global pandemic.

Some Vanderbilt students later learned they were infected with the virus.

A private online group of students who say they have contracted COVID-19 had 107 members this week, with most stating they had mild or moderate symptoms, posts showed.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, an independent hospital near the campus, also reported 86 employees have tested positive for the coronavirus to date, a spokeswoman said.

The example of Vanderbilt — a prestigious, private research institution — shows that risky behavior by some young people extended far beyond the spring break mob scenes on Florida beaches that emerged last month. It illustrates the role students at some colleges — particularly those with a global footprint — have played in the pandemic.

Other colleges have also reported coronavirus outbreaks. Forty-four students at the University of Texas at Austin tested positive for the disease after returning from spring break in Mexico, a state university spokeswoman said.

Last month, the University of Tampa said that five students traveling together during spring break had tested positive.

In a statement, Vanderbilt said: “Just as for our peers around the country, COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for our community as we have sought, above all, to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. Vanderbilt has regularly communicated with our community about the essential steps the university is taking, and that they must take, to limit the spread of disease.”

The university declined to answer questions about how many students have contracted the coronavirus, citing federal student privacy law.

Vanderbilt began its spring break earlier than many schools. It took place between Feb. 29 and March 8, a time in which the pandemic, which began in China, was beginning to seriously affect Europe, but had not yet significantly hit the US.

“Vandy” is an elite school with a large cohort of well-to-do students. Many travel abroad during spring break, especially Europe. They often visit other Vanderbilt students attending study-abroad programs.

On Feb. 25, Vanderbilt warned students not to travel to China or South Korea — two COVID-19 hot spots — and to reconsider making non-essential trips to other countries with serious outbreaks. International students were advised not to leave the US at all.

One country that had not yet reported many cases was Spain. Max Schulman, a Vanderbilt junior, said he traveled to Barcelona with more than a dozen classmates and estimated that about 50 Vanderbilt students in all were there during spring break.

Spain has since emerged as one of the epicenters of the global outbreak.

Schulman said that he felt tired, restless and “delirious” on his flight back.

Instead of returning to campus, he went to his family’s home in Long Island, New York, and later tested positive for coronavirus.

Other Vanderbilt students who traveled to Spain and other European countries returned to the Nashville campus.

On March 8, an online petition started by Chinese first-year student Yihan Li asked Vanderbilt to cancel classes to protect students’ health, as the number of infections in the Nashville area slowly rose.

“There have been two confirmed cases in Nashville and our students are returning from all over the world after the spring break,” the petition stated. “It is at great risk to hold classes as normal.”

More than 2,000 people signed it. Vanderbilt has about 12,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students, according to its Web site.

The same day, the university informed students that there were no confirmed cases on campus.

It also said that an unidentified student who had studied abroad but had not returned to Nashville had tested positive.

The announcement followed a story in the campus newspaper, the Vanderbilt Hustler, that a student in a program in Italy had later tested positive in Chicago.

Classes resumed on March 9. By the end of the day, the school said that several students on campus reported they had been exposed to an unidentified individual who tested positive that day.

It announced it was canceling classes for the rest of the week and would soon move them online through March.

“To be clear, the university will remain open,” the announcement added.

At the time, scores of other US colleges and universities were taking steps to cancel classes and switch to online instruction, according to data compiled by Bryan Alexander, a senior scholar at Georgetown University.

A picture of Vanderbilt’s announcement appeared on a satirical Instagram account with this comment: “Let spring break pt. 2 begin.”

That night, some students began partying to commiserate and celebrate over the end of classes, one student told reporters.

On March 10, Vanderbilt issued a warning to campus residents: “There should be no parties/gatherings; students are encouraged to maintain social distance and minimize interactions with others.”

The college was two days ahead of Nashville’s mayor in urging social distancing.

Some seniors worried that their college days were coming to an abrupt end and the campus would soon clear out, students said.

Their fears soon came true: On March 11, Vanderbilt told students that a healthcare worker at Vanderbilt University Medical Center had tested positive and classes would go on line for the rest of the semester. Undergraduates living on campus should leave within four days.

Planned St Patrick’s Day parties were moved up. The event is an annual tradition for many Vanderbilt students, who refer to it as “St Fratty’s,” because many parties are held at fraternity houses.

“We’re all here and we’re ready to fire one last time before our college careers are ended” by the coronavirus, stated one Facebook post announcing an off-campus St Patrick’s Day party.

Several students who attended the party later tested positive for the coronavirus, a student said.

Reporters could not independently confirm this.

Another “St Fratty’s” celebration was held in the rooftop courtyard of Wesley Place apartments, a residential complex that is home to third-year and fourth-year students.

Instagram photos show clusters of students clad in green, chatting in close proximity, drinking from beer cans and red cups, and posing together for pictures.

In one photo, a group of seven young women dressed in green huddle together, hugging and holding hands.

A photo collage posted by Vanderbilt’s chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority showed small groups of young, green-clad women smiling, hugging and posing for pictures.

The sorority did not respond to a request for comment.

Following the Wesley Place party, students dispersed to other locations, including off-campus fraternity houses and another apartment complex, according to students and social media posts.

One video shows several dozen students in a backyard dancing, hugging and drinking.

That same day, three news developments smashed the US’ complacency about the disease. US President Donald Trump imposed a 30-day ban on foreigners traveling from Europe, the National Basketball Association suspended its season, and movie star Tom Hanks announced that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19 in Australia.

Some Vanderbilt students soon were reporting in private chat groups that they had contracted the coronavirus.

A private group called “Covid Family” that consists of students who said they had contracted the virus grew to 107 members.

In one poll of 80 students, a dozen answered “yes” to whether they had the coronavirus, a screenshot showed.

Reporters could not determine if the self-reported diagnoses were accurate.

One infected student interviewed by Reuters attended off-campus parties and experienced symptoms on March 15 after returning home. The student’s mother also developed mild symptoms.

The student said that the exact source of the infection was impossible to know.

Sophia Yan, a first-year Vanderbilt student from China, said that she found out she had contracted the coronavirus upon returning home to Shenzhen on March 17.

She said that she did not attend any parties on campus, leading her to suspect the virus was more widespread at Vanderbilt than students and the administration realized.

She said she believes the university should have required students to report all their travels during spring break and released information about any who had tested positive, such as their whereabouts and what classes they attended.

“Unfortunately, Vanderbilt’s lack of effective measures largely reflects how the United States as a whole is dealing with this crisis,” she said. “To combat this pandemic, US federal and state governments, as well as the American people, must recognize the severity and urgency of the matter.”

Vanderbilt did not respond to a specific question about Yan’s comments.

However, it said because of federal student privacy law, “we are unable to disclose widely within the Vanderbilt community personally identifiable information about any student who has tested positive for COVID-19.”

Netra Rastogi, a Vanderbilt sophomore, does not fault the administration.

“I don’t think they realized that so many students at Vanderbilt wouldn’t take this whole situation seriously,” Rastogi said.

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