Virus Outbreak: Airport to reduce boarding gates: LinEFFICIENCY: With passenger traffic plunging, Taoyuan Airport is to close 20 of its 38 boarding gates from today to save on costs and facilitate renovations, the transport minister saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, Tamsui District, New Taipei CityStarting today, more than half of the boarding gates at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are to be closed as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp decline in passenger traffic at the nation’s largest airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. We have been renovating some of the airport’s facilities and would start closing some boarding gates. Passengers would enter and depart through designated gates, which will allow us to save on personnel and maintenance costs,” Lin said. An airport employee yesterday walks along a travelator at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Terminal Three would be opened in three stages, with the north concourse scheduled to be completed by 2024, the company said.

Man takes over family puppet troupe at age 18By Chen Feng-li and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerWith traditional crafts waning and lacking in successors, 20-year-old Chang Hao-wei (張皓瑋) two years ago decided to forgo university and take over his grandfather’s budaixi, or glove puppetry, troupe. Becoming the head of the troupe at the age of 18, Chang is likely the youngest troupe master in the nation, a position that comes with many duties. Chang Hao-wei operates a traditional glove puppet in Nantou County on March 21. Chang said that he and his troupe have made a name for themselves and are booking more and more performances. Chang said that on March 20, the troupe made a new record when it was contracted to perform for six consecutive days.

The nationwide survey of students from fifth to 12th grade was conducted to gauge the willingness of teenagers to cooperate with disease prevention measures, foundation executive director Joyce Tseng (曾清芸) said. The survey found that 62.8 percent of respondents nationwide, and up to 73.4 percent of respondents in northern Taiwan, said they wore a mask wherever they went. As for public transport, 42.7 percent of students nationwide said they now commute less, with elementary-school students recording a 55 percent drop in public transport use. The survey also found that some teenagers experienced stress and anxiety, Tseng said, advising parents to communicate more with their children. The survey, conducted at the end of last month, collected 11,205 valid questionnaires: 9,667 online questionnaires and 1,538 printed questionnaires.

Tedros’ comments came in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “At first, we just wanted to strike back at Tedros,” Lin tells the Taipei Times. Screengrab from https://taiwancanhelp.us/Within hours, the campaign raised over NT$19 million, nearly five times its goal of NT$4 million, with 26,980 people donating and, at one point, crashing the Web site zeczec.com, the crowdfunding platform. A photo of the New York Times full page ad. A photo of the New York Times full page ad.

Virus Outbreak: Officials reject IMF economic forecastEXPANSION: The IMF’s projection that Taiwan’s economy would shrink 4% this year reflected a lack of understanding of the nation’s economic situation, officials saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterGovernment officials yesterday dismissed an IMF forecast that Taiwan’s GDP would contract by 4 percent this year, saying that the nation’s economy would continue to grow by 1.3 to 1.8 percent. “There is no need to take the [IMF] forecast seriously, as the international research body has failed to factor in the government’s NT$1.05 trillion [US$34.96 billion] program to mitigate the effects of the [COVID-19] pandemic,” Chu told reporters. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesThe IMF also does not have the latest figures on Taiwan’s economic performance, as the DGBAS is to disclose first-quarter figures on April 30, he said. The National Development Council said the IMF forecast reflected a lack of understanding of the nation’s economic situation. The IMF forecast that the world economy would contract by 3 percent this year, induced in part by concerted government efforts to combat the pandemic, before rebounding by 5.8 percent next year.

The ministry recognizes that the WHO has started to take Taiwan’s existence seriously and its willingness to openly discuss the issue of Taiwan’s participation, he said. While Taiwanese health experts have participated in two WHO networks, the UN agency has never allowed Taiwan access to its laboratory networks, Chen said. It has its own independent, sound medical and public health system, and only a government elected by Taiwanese can represent the Taiwanese public,” he added. “Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping with concrete action,” Wu said, again urging the WHO to fully include Taiwan in its meetings and mechanisms. Some former allies have “more or less” pitched to Taiwan their requests for medical aid, he said.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung, right, talks to reporters yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. Independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) said that China Airlines has established a brand over the years and that if it changes its name, it might never be able to get the original one back. However, CAL’s subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, also flies to China and its special administrative regions, so a rebranded CAL could focus on other international destinations, Chiu said. However, Taiwan does not represent China and does not want to be represented by China. For now, the government is considering changing the exterior of the [CAL] aircraft,” Lin said.

Virus Outbreak: Ministry of Culture’s relief subsidies to start soonFIRST IN, FIRST OUT: Those who filed their applications in March might be able to ask for their funds as soon as this week, Cheng Li-chiun said at a news conferenceBy Lee Hsin-fang and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reportersThe initial payouts from the Ministry of Culture’s initial NT$1.5 billion (US$49.95 million) relief package, which drew 7,658 applications, could be requested as early as this week, the ministry said yesterday. The ministry started to review the applications even before the deadline, and those who filed last month might be able to request funds as early as this week, she said. Businesses could apply for up to NT$2.5 million to cover operational costs, while individuals would be eligible for up to NT$60,000, the ministry said. The ministry earlier this month proposed an expanded relief and recovery package with an additional NT$3.72 billion as part of the central government’s second-phase relief and recovery plan, bringing its total funding to NT$5.22 billion. The application period for the second-phase package would open on April 30 and end on May 20, Cheng said.

NPP urges changes to halt infiltration of the media by ChinaBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterTougher laws are needed to combat China’s growing influence on Taiwanese media via funding and sponsored news articles with the aim of subverting public discourse and undermining Taiwan’s democracy, New Power Party (NPP) officials said yesterday. “Now we are seeing that an enemy state, whose regime is hostile toward our nation, has been using the power and money of its party, government agencies and military to infiltrate Taiwan’s media outlets,” Chiu said. “Taiwan has come under attack by China through military threats, political warfare and propaganda campaigns,” the NPP said in a statement. “In the past few years, China has been using money and connections to infiltrate Taiwan’s media outlets, civil groups, temples and religious organizations, as well as other sectors of society,” it said. The ban must be extended to curtail China’s influence and control over the local media industry, he added.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday holds a meeting at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei after a cross-party negotiation on the additional budget for a bailout plan failed to reach a consensus. The KMT caucus has proposed budgeting NT$100 billion for cash handouts, KMT caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said. Households subject to the 5 percent tax rate would receive NT$15,000; those subject to the 12 percent tax rate would receive NT$10,000; and those subject to the 20 percent tax rate would receive NT$6,000. The KMT caucus held a news conference at which it unveiled its proposal while negotiations were ongoing on Monday, but the DPP had not been informed of them, he added. Members of the KMT caucus later withdrew from the meeting.

The administrator of the museum’s Facebook page said that they generally aim to link the museum’s exhibits with current events. A statue of Tsai A-hsin, the nation’s first female doctor, is pictured on the National Museum of Taiwan History’s Facebook page yesterday. An image portraying a household embroidery factory is accompanied by a caption reminding people to stay home as much as possible. The post also includes a photograph of a statue of Taiwan’s first female physician, Tsai A-hsin (蔡阿信). The caption thanks frontline doctors and nurses for their efforts amid the pandemic.

Wisdom posts Q1 loss as virus hits freight demandSETBACK: The company had expected overcapacity to diminish amid new IMO rules, but the pandemic froze economic activity, crimping demand for ocean freightBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterWisdom Marine Lines Co (慧洋海運) posted a pretax loss of US$4.07 million in the first quarter due to deteriorating freight rates, marking its first quarterly loss since the second quarter of 2017, company data showed. The ongoing spread of COVID-19, disruptions at ports worldwide and lower demand for shipment with delayed production have created downward pressure on freight rates, the shipping company told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday. Its revenue plunged 15.92 percent from a year earlier to US$92.71 million during the first three months, the data showed. However, with the pandemic freezing economic activity worldwide, demand for ocean freight has been lower than expected, Mou added. Meanwhile, container shippers Evergreen Marine Corp (長榮海運) and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運) saw their sales decline 4.86 percent to NT$43 billion and 1.24 percent to NT$34 billion respectively during the January-to-March period, company data showed.

Virus Outbreak: CAL to highlight ‘Taiwan’ on delivering donationsBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterPremier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday voiced support for changing the name of China Airlines (CAL, 中華航空), but said it was not an easy thing to do, as it could affect the nation’s aviation rights. Su reminded reporters that Chiang Kai-shek International Airport had been renamed Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport when he first served as premier during then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration. The league’s name had “historical reasons,” Su said, agreeing that the two examples she cited have caused confusion about the difference between Taiwan and China. With the world largely acknowledging Taiwan’s success in containing COVID-19, it is important that the world realizes “Taiwan is not China,” he said. Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) yesterday confirmed that the ministry had asked CAL to “add symbols representing Taiwan” on aircraft being used to carry international donations of medical supplies.

The government has invested NT$2.16 billion (US$71.7 million) in the testing, treatment, prevention and research of the disease, National Health Research Institute (NHRI) president Liang Kung-yee (梁賡義) said. An official holds a prototype of the COVID-19 rapid testing kid developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute at a news conference yesterday at the Executive Yuan in Taipei. That test could produce results in 15 to 20 minutes, and might also be ready for mass production by July, he said. A third drug, quinine — which is commonly used to treat malaria and babesiosis — has also shown promise in the treatment of COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms, he said. “Several countries have expressed hope to work with Taiwan to produce a vaccine and rapid test,” he said.

Fire department honors retiring dog at ceremonyBy Yao Yueh-hung, Tang Shih-ming and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Taipei City Fire Department honored a retiring rescue dog at a ceremony yesterday and extended its appreciation to the person who adopted the German shepherd. The dog, named Humble, received an honorary medal for its contributions to disaster relief at a ceremony, at which the department and the adopter, surnamed Lee (李), signed adoption papers, department commissioner Wu Chun-hong (吳俊鴻) said. The department said it hoped the ceremony would draw attention to rescue dogs and their post-retirement adoption, a practice it began in 2015, Wu said. Retired rescue dog Humble, front, poses for a photograph with Taipei City Fire Department commissioner Wu Chun-hong, right, at a ceremony in Taipei yesterday. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior’s National Fire Agency yesterday began accepting adoption applications for five of its rescue dogs that are retiring this year.