Level 3 alert extended until June 14HELP ON THE WAY: The CECC expects 2 million doses of vaccines to arrive by the end of June and 10 million doses, including local ones, to be available by AugustBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert is to be extended until June 14, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced yesterday, as it reported 281 locally transmitted cases, 261 backlogged cases and six deaths. The COVID-19 alert was raised to level 3 for the whole nation on Wednesday last week, four days after it was issued in Taipei and New Taipei City, where the vast majority of confirmed cases were reported. Soldiers in protective suits disinfect an MRT station in Taipei yesterday following a surge of COVID-19 infections. “Although the [level 3 warning] period has been extended, everyone should endure it for the sake of disease prevention,” he said. Of the 261 backlogged cases, 155 live in Taipei, 89 in New Taipei City, five each in Yilan County and Taoyuan, three each in Keelung and Changhua County, and one in Taichung.

More businesses using contactless payment methodsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterMore small merchants, stores and vendors have adopted contactless payment methods amid rising domestic COVID-19 infections. Line Pay Taiwan said that most of them are small or medium-sized stores or online merchants, which are generally more hesitant about accepting virtual payments than larger stores. A convenience store worker scans a QR code on a customer’s phone to complete a transaction in Taipei on Nov. 6, 2019. Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei TimesBank SinoPac (永豐銀行) said that about 1,000 retailers and vendors have applied for and begun adopting the bank’s QR code payment tool since the beginning of this year, with the total number of stores using the tool increasing to 4,000. A survey conducted by Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank (台北富邦銀行) has shown that more than 85 percent of respondents would prioritize using mobile payment tool over other payment means, while another 78 percent said that the number of stores accepting mobile payments is still low.

A 2011 conference paper Chen co-authored for the East and Southeast Asia Federation of Soil Science Societies describes three soil remediation techniques. Turnover and dilution — mixing surface soil with subsoil to reduce the concentration of heavy metals in the former — is cheap and fast. Chemical treatments aim to stabilize heavy metals in a form where they’re less likely to enter food crops via their roots. The third approach is phytoremediation, the use of particular plant species and associated microorganisms to clean up contaminated soil. However, using such agents — which boost the solubility and leaching of heavy metals — also increases the risk of groundwater contamination.

E.Sun Financial posts net fee income of NT$5.27bnPROFITABLE UNIT: E.Sun Securities’ net fee income contributed to 16.3% of its parent company’s total in the first quarter, and rose 52.5% year-on-yearBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterE.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) on Monday reported net fee income of NT$5.27 billion (US$189.1 million) for the first quarter of this year, the highest quarterly figure in its history, thanks to contributions from E.Sun Securities Co (玉山證券) as more investors participated on the local stock market. E.Sun Securities’ net fee income increased 52.5 percent year-on-year to NT$840 million in the first quarter, accounting for 16.3 percent of the holding company’s net fee income, E.Sun Financial said in a statement. As of the end of last year, the securities unit’s fee income contributed 12.4 percent to its parent company’s total fee income. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesThe growth in fee income boosted E.Sun Securities’ net profit by 274 percent from a year earlier to NT$416 million in the first quarter. The two divisions contributed to two-thirds of E.Sun Financial’s total net fee income, company data showed.

COVID-19: Doctor offers tips on how to differentiate symptomsBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writerCold and allergy symptoms, while similar to those of COVID-19, have some differences that could help determine the cause, a physician said on Sunday as he shared tips on how to differentiate between them. To help ease concerns, Tsui shared on Facebook on Saturday ways to differentiate between a cold, allergies and COVID-19. Photo: CNAHowever, he said that each person’s symptoms are different and clinical advice should be sought if there are any doubts. These are very similar to COVID-19 symptoms, he said. However, due to its variability, with some cases not displaying any symptoms at all, COVID-19 can be difficult to diagnose, Tsui said.

COVID-19: Schools urged to ensure quality educationBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe National Federation of Teachers’ Unions yesterday urged education authorities to pay attention to the quality of online classes offered to students with disabilities. The quality of learning for students with disabilities, specifically those with visual impairments, should not be compromised because of the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan, the union said. As with in-person learning, students with visual impairments need audio descriptions when learning online, it said. Someone needs to describe the images in the livestream in spoken language so that students with visual impairments can understand them, it said. The Ministry of Education should require schools to reduce the impact of long-term use of electronic devices on students’ eyesight while carrying out online teaching, it said.

Taiwan tire suppliers face US anti-dumping tariffsStaff writer, with CNASuppliers of automobile and truck tires from Taiwan and three other countries are facing anti-dumping tariffs after US authorities upheld a preliminary ruling accusing them of selling products at unfairly low prices in the US. The decision by the US Department of Commerce released on Monday states that anti-dumping tariffs of 14.62 to 101.84 percent would be imposed on tire makers from Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, with Taiwan facing the highest penalties. Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co (正新橡膠) and Nankang Rubber Tire Corp (南港輪胎), the two mandatory Taiwanese respondents, face anti-dumping tariffs of 20.04 percent and 101.84 percent respectively, while other Taiwanese exporters face an 84.75 percent penalty. Another step is required before the anti-dumping tariffs can take effect. Cheng Shin said that passenger vehicle and light truck tires account for less than 2 percent of its total sales.

Last month, it pushed the nation’s first space development bill through a legislative review. National Space Organization Acting Director-General Yu Shiann-jeng gestures during an interview with the Taipei Times on May 3. In the 1990s and in 2004, the NSPO attempted to develop a communications satellite, but the plans were suspended reportedly due to technical limits and other problems. The ITRI specializes in communications technology, but lacks experience developing products for use in space, which is the NSPO’s strength, he said. Sources familiar with the matter have said that the US has repeatedly expressed concern over Taiwan’s attempts to develop launch rockets.

United Renewable considers raising pricesBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterUnited Renewable Energy Co (URE, 聯合再生), the nation’s biggest supplier of solar cells and modules, yesterday said that it is considering raising prices further in the second half of this year due to rising raw material costs. The United Renewable Energy Co booth is pictured at the Energy Taiwan Expo at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 on Sept. 19, 2018. “Price pressure remains heavy in the third quarter,” Pan said. The nation is expected to install about 2.2 gigawatts of solar energy systems this year — a conservative URE forecast, she said. As renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy are unstable, Taipower plans to launch its first automotive frequency control services using URE’s storage system, she added.

Allies issue joint call for Taiwan’s WHO inclusionBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe representative offices of the US, Japan and Australia yesterday issued a joint call for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, while highlighting the importance of universal access to effective vaccinations against COVID-19. The 74th World Health Assembly commenced virtually on Monday, but Taiwan was excluded for a fifth consecutive year. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is seen on screens as he attends the World Health Assembly amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. Paraguayan Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare Julio Borba during a general discussion also backed Taiwan’s participation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the allies for voicing support for Taiwan, although their proposal pushing for Taiwan’s participation was not listed on the WHA’s formal agenda.

COVID-19: Majority against vaccines made in China, DPP polls findBy Yang Chun-hui and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerSurveys conducted by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for internal reference have shown that most Taiwanese would refuse to take a vaccine made in China, a party source said yesterday. A DPP survey conducted in February showed that 60 percent of respondents were unwilling to take a Chinese vaccine, while 30 percent were willing to. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) on Sunday criticized China for using the sale of vaccines as a “united front” tactic. “China ceaselessly pressures Taiwan, but now it wants to appear benevolent — just as Taiwan is facing a worsening pandemic — by selling Taiwan vaccines with defective packaging that will expire soon,” he said. Separately, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) yesterday criticized the KMT and the China Unification Promotion Party for exacerbating attempts by China to sow disorder in Taiwan by calling for imports of Chinese vaccines.

CECC reports 334 new domestic casesHIT HARD: Among the 3,255 people confirmed with COVID-19 since April 15, 335 had suffered severe symptoms, or 10.3 percent of cases, Philip Lo saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 334 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, 256 backlogged local cases and six deaths, while adding that its specialist advisory panel has suggested extending the nationwide level 3 alert. Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei TimesThe backlogged cases were 157 males and 99 females, with the onset of symptoms having occurred between May 14 and Saturday. Among them, 148 live in Taipei, including 76 in Wanhua, 99 live in New Taipei City, including 34 in Banciao, six in Taoyuan, two in Miaoli County and one in Taichung, he said. A single passenger wearing a mask waits at Shandao Temple MRT Station in Taipei yesterday. The level 3 alert was imposed nationwide on Wednesday last week, four days after it took effect in Taipei and New Taipei City.

Jay Chou curates Sotheby’s eventStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese pop star Jay Chou (周杰倫) is to curate Sotheby’s first “Contemporary Curated: Asia” auction, to take place in Hong Kong next month, the international auction company said yesterday. The auction series, titled “Jay Chou x Sotheby’s,” is to feature “exceptional works by blue-chip artists and rising stars handpicked by Jay to be offered in a highly anticipated evening sale on June 18” and an online day sale, the company said in a statement. Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou speaks to reporters in Taipei on Sept. 29 last year. It isn’t something you need to try to get close to — by nature, it envelops our life each and every day,” Chou said. The “Jay Chou x Sotheby’s” auction event is also to have an online day sale from June 10 to June 22, the statement said.

COVID-19: FDA probing illegal sales of test kits onlineBy Lin Hui-chin, Su Yung-yao and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said it is investigating the online sale of rapid COVID-19 testing products in contravention of rules against the unlicensed sale of medical equipment and “distance” commerce. Testing kits are classified as medical equipment and therefore can only be sold by certified vendors and pharmacies, FDA Medical Devices and Cosmetics Division specialist Lin Hsin-hui (林欣慧) said. People walk past empty dining tables in Taipei yesterday, the first day of a ban on all on-site dining and drinking in response to an increase in the number of domestic COVID-19 cases. Medical staff yesterday test a man for COVID-19 at a screening facility in Taipei. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesWhile buying rapid testing kits from licensed vendors is not illegal, Lin advised against businesses purchasing them to test their employees, as the safety and accuracy of self-administered tests cannot be guaranteed.

COVID-19: CECC revokes Kinmen testing order, fake news spreadsBy Lee I-chia and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday revoked an order by the Kinmen County Government demanding that all visitors arriving by plane had to provide a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19 within three days of their flight, or take a rapid antigen test upon arrival at the airport. Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen speaks at the Central Epidemic Command Center’s daily news conference in Taipei yesterday. He said the proclamation was issued because Kinmen residents are concerned that COVID-19 would spread to the island, but as it has been revoked, the county government would suggest that arriving visitors receive an optional rapid antigen test. The messages told people not to trust the CDC’s Line account, saying they should delete it. Its aims are to mislead the public, create confusion and sow distrust, Wang said.