Taiwan lifts face mask mandate at schools

Taiwan lifts face mask mandate at schools

2023-03-06

Taiwan lifted its mask mandate for schools on Monday. That means masks are no longer compulsory anywhere except school infirmaries, and school transport. Table dividers are also not required when having meals any more. Some parents say they’ve told their children to stay masked up, while others say it’s up to the students themselves to decide.

Kids are dropped off at school. Both they and their parents are still wearing face masks, despite the relaxation of the face mask mandate in school. Teachers and students can chose to forgo the masks if they so wish, but some parents say they hope everyone will keep them on.

Parent
For example, at the kindergarten, it’s very easy to transmit infections via saliva droplets, because the kids chat together for a long time. So I still told my child to stay masked up, even if the rule has been lifted. I said it could come off only for meals.

Parent
I think they can decide for themselves. If they are doing sports, they might want to take it off. In class, if they are not feeling well, or if their classmates are wearing a mask, they can decide whether to keep it on or not.

Besides the lifting of the mask mandate, table dividers are also no longer compulsory when having a meal at school. Dajia Elementary School in Taipei says students will still be advised to put up the dividers anyway.

Lee Chung-hui
Dajia Elementary School principal
After all, when they eat, they take off their masks. We’re afraid that they could get infected by airborne droplets. So in principle, we hope that students will still use the dividers. But we won’t force them to do so.

Over the past three years, masks have been a must at schools. So it may take some time before teachers and students can break the habit.

校園口罩令鬆綁室內上課可自行決定戴罩

2023-03-06

今天開始校園口罩令再鬆綁，室內上課時，學生可以自己選擇要不要戴口罩，吃飯也不再強制使用隔板，不過政策上路一天，大部份的學生還是都戴著口罩上學，家長大都還是會擔心。北市的大佳國小，就建議學生用餐時還是使用隔板比較安全。

一早家長送小孩到校上課，不論是家長還是學生，大部份還是戴著口罩，校園室內口罩令放寬，師生可以自行決定要不要戴口罩，但許多家長還是有些擔心。

[[家長]]
“像他們幼兒園的話，小朋友更容易就是口沫的傳染，因為小朋友的交談都很久，所以我其實也是跟他說，既然要解禁的話，但是我還是希望他們，繼續把口罩戴著，除非用餐的時間再拿下來”

[[家長]]
“讓他自己決定，因為他運動的時候，可能也需要脫口罩，但是進教室他覺得不舒服，或是同學有人戴口罩，就讓他自己決定要不要戴”

除了放寬口罩令，中午用餐時間，學校也不再強制隔板，不過大佳國小還是建議學生使用。

[[大佳國小校長李鍾慧]]
“畢竟吃飯的時候，也是會把口罩脫下來，然後就是會怕有飛沫傳染這件事情，我們原則上希望他們能夠使用，那不使用也不強迫”

三年來，師生已經都習慣戴著口罩，儘管已經鬆綁，但自主防疫還是沒鬆懈。

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Leather sculpture is a rare artform practiced by skilled craftspeople worldwide. In Taiwan, Yeh Fa-yuan has been making stunning leather art for 36 years. Using techniques he developed himself, he’s found new ways to bring a simple strip of leather into a 3D work of art. From lifelike crabs to eagles, ants, and even human beings, Yeh can fashion them all out of leather. But as he shared with us, making a living from art has not always been easy. After years of hard work in obscurity, now Yeh’s work can be seen at the world famous Louvre Museum in Paris.

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A pin is used to create hairs. The crab’s body and legs are assembled, pieced together, then brushed with green dye. When it dries, another layer is applied – 10 times. Then the lifelike crab is finally complete.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
Quite by accident, while I was working, I noticed a piece of leather that looked like a guitar. That’s how I first got involved with leather. I quit my job to dedicate myself to leather art because I think that it’s a very happy thing to be able to do work that interests you!

In Yeh Fa-yuan’s nimble hands, a simple piece of leather becomes a vendor with a basket full of crabs, ants crawling over watermelon or crystal sugar, or a dish of stir-fried pork. Yeh quit a stable career to follow his passion, and over the years he was surprised to find people loved his work.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
Actually, while I’m working, I always think that artists need to have a lot of perseverance and willpower, to keep struggling at it for long periods of time, as well as a kind of foolish desire to just keep doing it, without complaints or regrets. At the stage when you’re not yet famous, you can go months without making any money. I thought about giving up, in the past. And I thought to myself, “Maybe I need to adjust my pace and my methods, so that I can fulfill these dreams of mine.”

Hsu Kuai
Wife of Yeh Fa-yuan
I’ve got a good line in leather chat! I can talk about his work in a more indirect, softer, more storytelling kind of way – about where he got the ideas for the piece, or the inspiration behind it.

And Yeh has also made a name for his work worldwide, having pieces exhibited at the Louvre Museum in France. His wife, a former art gallery tour guide, is his marketing manager par excellence.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
I encounter many difficulties in my work, and I did once think about quitting. The insight which the eagle gives us is that we must have the courage to change and the determination to be reborn.

This series of eagle sculptures, created painstakingly over two years, exhibits the luxurious soft feathers of the bird, as well as their charismatic strength. Like Yeh himself, they swoop low to the ground so as to soar into the sky.

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Wholesale egg prices climb NT$3 as shortages continue around Taiwan

Egg prices went up again on Monday to reach a wholesale rate of NT$55 per 600 grams. It’s the second price hike in just about a month, as eggs remain scarce in Taiwan. That’s despite the first two batches of a government order having already arrived from Australia. A total of 5 million Australian eggs are scheduled to arrive before the end of the month, but with shelves island-wide still empty, the government says it will procure eggs from other places as well.

It’s 6 a.m. but already, a long line has formed outside this egg shop.

At 7:20, the shop finally opens. It’s out of regular white-shelled eggs and brown-shelled eggs, however. The only ones available are special and pricier varieties. But in just one hour, they are all gone.

Member of public
I haven’t bought any eggs for a week. I’m considering raising my own hens.

Ms. Wang
Egg seller
Sourcing these eggs was really difficult. I needed 400 boxes, but I had to go ask around to get 300 of them. People are always lining up. I tell them not to, but they still stand in line. I had no choice but to sell the eggs meant for businesses. But then there were no eggs for the businesses and I got yelled at by my boss.

Avian flu, rising feed prices and poor weather have brought farm prices up. Last March, 600 grams of eggs cost NT$36.5. That price went up by NT$2 in February, and now, on March 6, it’s gone up again, by NT$3. That’s two hikes in just about a month. Wholesale egg prices now stand at NT$55 per 600 grams.

Chen Chiu-chih
Egg farmer
Distributors have come to try and snatch some eggs. They got 12 kilograms of white-shelled eggs for NT$1,300. And think about it, if they go to Taipei, they could sell them for at least NT$1,400 or NT$1,500. I think this egg shortage nightmare will drag on for at least a year.

Chen Chi-chung
Council of Agriculture
We respect the outcome of both market mechanisms. We will continue to bring in eggs as quickly as possible from other areas. We’ll also look for eggs for egg processing firms.

Taiwan has placed an order of 5 million eggs from Australia. The first two batches, totaling 720,000 eggs have already reached Taiwan, and four more batches are scheduled for March. The Council of Agriculture says it will import eggs from other countries as well to get through the shortage.

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Nut producer commits to freezing retail prices, despite rising costs of import

Nuts are a popular treat at this time of year. They’re great for giving to loved ones, and for keeping at home for a healthy snack. But global inflation has seen the price of importing nuts soar. Today we meet one Taiwanese nut producer that insists on keeping its retail prices stable, despite the risk. Their commitment to healthier processing keeps loyal customers onboard. And they’re hoping the rise in online sales will see them through the turbulent post-pandemic period.

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Hsu Chin-tang
Nut producer strategy director
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Lin Chia-hua works with a colleague to pull in a fishing net. She puts her all into fishing. Having grown up here in Hou’an village, on the southwest side of Mailiao Township in Yunlin, she’s been helping out with raising pigs and feeding fish for as long as she can remember. In high school she studied animal husbandry, but in university majored in aquaculture.

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A tiny flame burns beneath the coffee kettle, and steam is gently spiralling into the air. Coffee cups and beakers sit beside Tanzanian coffee grounds, and lawmaker Mark Ho is showing how to brew a premium cup of coffee.

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Mark Ho
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See how its steam is rising? It also has a lot of volatiles in it. You could say that coffee is the most complex foodstuff in the world – from the moment it is roasted it is continuously changing.

The brewing is over. A cup of rich dark coffee is produced, but we’re not quite ready to drink it: the freshly-brewed coffee tastes too strong and it’s too hot. Most people add a little iced water to balance it out.

Mark Ho
DPP lawmaker
If I’m going to brew 500 milliliters, then I’ll leave 200 milliliters for water. That will make a coffee that’s exceptionally clean and vibrant. When we drink scalding liquids, our tastebuds contract. It’s my understanding that for really good tea or coffee, a temperature of about 50 degrees is correct.

Ho takes a sip, then swirls it around his mouth to taste it better. He’s meticulous about every step of the process.

Mark Ho
DPP lawmaker
Everyone needs to find something they enjoy. It could be wiping the floorboards, wiping your glasses, or drinking coffee. Find something you enjoy, and you won’t get tired even if you do it 100, 1,000 or 10,000 times. This is very important.

Ho has been interested in premium coffees for more than 10 years. For him, it’s not just a morning pick-me-up, but a relaxed and meditative process that can entertain him for decades.

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