Pet owners aboard a bus in Kaohsiung show carriers containing their pets in an undated photograph. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp follows similar rules on pet carrier sizes, and owners must ensure that the animal’s limbs, tail or wings do not protrude from the container, and that the pet does not stink. Riders with pets must keep their pets with them at all times, and should not obstruct walkways with their carrier or place it on a seat, the company said. Taipei eBus said that passengers taking public buses in New Taipei City and Taoyuan are also required to have their pets in sturdy containers measuring no more than 55x45x40cm. Each passenger is allowed to bring one pet carrier aboard, it said.

A selection of Lunar New Year dishes is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. People do not have to avoid certain types of foods altogether, Chiu said, adding that taking everything in moderation is key. In the week following the holiday, more than 280,000 people sought emergency care or outpatient services for gastrointestinal problems, the data showed. Preparing too much food and repeatedly heating the dishes allow room for bacteria to grow, resulting in food poisoning, he said. Food that is greasy could also stimulate one’s gall bladder, increasing the risk of inflammation of the bladder or pancreas, he said.

Single imported COVID-19 case confirmed: CECCStaff writer, with CNAThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday confirmed one new imported case of COVID-19, bringing the nation’s total to 936 casesThe new case is a Taiwanese man in his 20s who since September last year was studying in France and returned to Taiwan on Jan. 29, the center said. He provided a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of his flight, but while quarantining at home, he developed a cough, a runny nose, and nausea and vomiting, it said, adding that a test arranged by health authorities returned positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Higher Ct values — such as in the mid-to-high 30s — indicate a lower viral load, or likelihood of transmission. Taiwan has had 936 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 820 classified as imported. Nine people with COVID-19 have died, while 859 people have recovered and 68 remain in treatment, CECC data showed.

Avoid talking when dining in public places, CECC saysBy Lin Hui-chin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday urged the public to avoid talking when eating out and to wear a mask at all times when not eating or drinking to prevent COVID-19 infection over the Lunar New Year holiday. People who are under self-health management after returning from abroad should also avoid chatting as much as possible when dining at home and opt for takeouts instead of eating out, the center said. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesPeople who have finished quarantine but failed to observe self-health management regulations can be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 for breaching the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法). Those who are practicing self-health management or have just entered this phase after home isolation would be fined between NT$10,000 and NT$150,000 if they breached regulations, it added. If they must do so, they should wear a mask, periodically wash their hands and always cover their mouth when coughing, it said.

Moderna to supply 5m doses to TaiwanMID-YEAR TARGET: The drugmaker said that although the vaccine has not yet been approved for use in Taiwan, it would work with local regulators to gain the approvalStaff writer, with CNAUS drugmaker Moderna Inc on Tuesday said that it has signed an agreement with the government to supply Taiwan with 5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. Although the vaccine has not yet been approved for use in Taiwan, Moderna would work with regulators to pursue the necessary approval prior to distribution, the company said in a statement. Moderna also said that it has agreed to supply 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Colombia and that deliveries to the countries would begin in the middle of this year. Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times“We thank the governments of both Taiwan and Colombia for partnering with us to bring the COVID-19 vaccine Moderna to Taiwan and Colombia,” Moderna chief executive officer Stephane Bancel said in the statement. The Moderna vaccine has received emergency-use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for the vaccination of individuals aged 18 or older, the report added.

The increase in revenue reflects a steady recovery in the global auto market, which boosted the company’s shipments of machinery parts and gear transmission products last month, the company said on Tuesday. The logo of Hota Industrial Manufacturing Co is pictured at one of the company’s plants in the Chiayi Dapumei Precision Machinery Park on July 24, 2019. “We expect more EV revenue contribution to kick off from 2021 as some projects have been delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19,” Daiwa said in a note last month. The company aims to start production at the new plant in the second half of this year and supply components for EVs for US and European clients. It already operates two plants in the same industrial park.

Extra day of holiday to stay: MOTCSMOOTHER TRAVELS: The ministry said it has adopted the measure as a standing policy after the extra day at the beginning of the holiday greatly reduced travel problemsBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe addition of an extra day at the beginning of the Lunar New Year holiday — the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve — has successfully alleviated travel congestion, so the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has made the change permanent. A traffic jam is pictured on a highway in Changhua County on Feb. 7, 2019, the third day of the Lunar New Year holiday. The TRA has mobilized an additional 288 trains over the holiday, as well as discounted express trains that depart from Taipei, Yilan and Hualien stations, Chang said. The eastern line would feature midnight trains and trains with only registered seating, Chang added. From Monday to Tuesday next week, THSRC trains are only to offer registered seating, with all eating and drinking prohibited, Chen said.

AIT video for Year of the Ox focuses on Taiwan-US efforts against virusBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday released a video to mark the Year of the Ox ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and highlight Taiwan-US teamwork in fighting COVID-19. The US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan has the custom each Lunar New Year of releasing a themed video. The two-minute video posted on Facebook yesterday showed AIT Director Brent Christensen, Deputy Director Raymond Greene, spokeswoman Amanda Mansour and other institute officials writing Chinese characters. Some staff members of the American Institute in Taiwan are pictured in a video released by the institute yesterday to wish Taiwanese a happy Lunar New Year. “We hope the Year of the Ox brings us all health and happiness, prosperity and peace.”

KMT’s Chiang urges Strait dialogue‘DIFFICULT’ DIPLOMACY: Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang said the party hopes for substantial breakthroughs in the global spaceBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday urged Taipei and Beijing to seek opportunities to resume official dialogue and normal people-to-people exchanges. “We have also noticed that President Tsai has in recent speeches tried her best to show goodwill to the other side” of the Taiwan Strait, Chiang wrote on Facebook. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang, center, accompanied by KMT Secretary-General Lee Chien-lung, talks to reporters in Taipei on Monday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times“The KMT continues to welcome remarks that would help melt the ice for cross-strait reconciliation,” he added. Commenting on Tsai’s remark that Taiwan-US relations remained stable, Chiang wrote that the KMT hopes Tsai can maintain stability in the relationship.

Innolux yesterday said its consolidated revenue surged 65.9 percent to NT$27.51 billion (US$969 million), the highest monthly revenue in about three-and-a-half years. Innolux said changes to its product portfolios and key component supply constraints affected its shipments last month. Compared with December last year’s NT$28.86 billion, revenue slipped 7.8 percent, as the first quarter is generally a slow season for flat-panel makers. Total shipments also fell at a monthly pace of 7.8 percent last month, the company said. That was a monthly decline of 3.5 percent from NT$2.57 billion in December last year, the company said.

Notes from central Taiwan: Taiwan’s water scarcity crisisThe water situation has powerful international implications for Taiwan’s securityBy Michael Turton / Contributing reporterIn discussing Taiwan’s development, it is conventional to present the country as a place with few natural resources, that became rich through hard work, good policy and a little luck. For example, according to a 2018 report from the International Water Association, Taiwan’s water price to income ratio is the second lowest in the world. Since Taiwan gets the bulk of its water from typhoons, this can only mean an increasingly dire water situation over time. Like a sixty-car pile up on a foggy freeway, Taiwan’s water crises are all happening at the same time. Everyone was conscious of the nation’s water scarcity, and every house had a catchment system to store rainwater.

Magnitude 6 earthquake strikes off the east coastSTAYING ALERT: Some people reported receiving as many as a dozen earthquake warning messages, which the Central Weather Bureau said was due to an errorBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterA magnitude 6.1 earthquake yesterday struck off Taiwan’s east coast at 1:36am, the Central Weather Bureau said, adding that aftershocks of magnitude 4 or higher could occur in the next three days. However, the center has already recorded five magnitude 5 or larger earthquakes since last month, including yesterday’s, he said. Last year, there were 25 magnitude 5 to 6 earthquakes, whereas there were only four earthquakes larger than magnitude 6, Chen said. “The earthquake’s epicenter was far from Taiwan’s northeast coast and was more than 110km deep, which presented a challenge to the early warning system,” he said. To prevent the system from repeating the same warning message, the bureau has begun to improve the automatic detection modules in the earthquake early warning system, Cheng said.

Council prepares to end CSF vaccinations of pigsBACK TO MARKET: The council said it plans to monitor a small group of pigs over seven months to see if they become infected with CSF, in hopes to resume exportsBy Yang Yuan-ting and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA group of newborn pigs would not be vaccinated against classical swine fever (CSF) as part of an effort to resume exports of pork by 2023, the Council of Agriculture said on Saturday. The council hopes to end all CSF vaccinations within two years and resume pork exports to countries such as Japan, it said. The council would continue with the program, which the Executive Yuan has approved, until the middle of next year, he said. The council spent about NT$500 million (US$17.61 million) on its program to end foot-and-mouth disease vaccinations, and expects to budget a similar amount to end CSF vaccinations, he said, adding that the amount would be less than the amount spent on vaccines annually. “If we are able to stop vaccinations and do not see an outbreak of CSF, then there will be nothing preventing the export of Taiwanese pork,” he said.

Virus fears spur Lunar New Year lily salesBy Chen Kuan-pei and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerFragrant lilies usually sell well over the Lunar New Year holiday for their symbolic connotations, but have been in especially high demand this year for a surprising reason — to test for COVID-19, flower vendors said on Saturday. This week, new year lilies fetched about NT$200 for a bouquet of cut flowers and NT$200 to NT$260 for a 5cm planter. The price has not changed much from previous years, yet they have been selling far better, vendors at Changhua County’s Tianwei Highway Garden said. Since one of the telltale symptoms is loss of smell, some have been buying fragrant flowers as a COVID-19 test, Hsu said. In a regular year, Hsu said that he sells 1,000 to 2,000 planters daily over the Lunar New year holiday season.

Largan shipments plunge to lowest since summerStaff writer, with CNASmartphone camera lens supplier Largan Precision Co’s (大立光) sales rose 12.34 percent year-on-year last month, but declined 6.18 percent from December last year amid a slow season for the industry, the company said in a statement on Friday. The headquarters of Largan Precision Co is pictured in Taichung on June 12, 2018. Photo: Chen Mei-ying, Taipei TimesHowever, Largan said that lenses with a resolution of 20 megapixels or greater, which have a higher profit margin, accounted for 20 to 30 percent of shipments last month, up from 10 to 20 percent in December. Lenses with 10 to 20 megapixels accounted for 50 to 60 percent last month, and lenses with less than 10 megapixels accounted for 10 percent, Largan said. At an investors’ conference last month, Largan CEO Adam Lin (林恩平) said that the company’s business outlook remained cautious, as uncertainty over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic affected high-end smartphone demand.