Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je is telling family members to eat separately while at home. Ko said that’s because 43% of recent COVID cases were transmitted between family members who live together.
His advice comes as Taiwan faces its biggest COVID-19 outbreak since the pandemic began. Taiwan’s cases surpassed the 10,000 mark on Friday. The country has seen triple-digit daily new cases since May 15. That was also when authorities placed Greater Taipei under a Level 3 COVID alert. Greater Taipei has seen the most cases throughout Taiwan during this outbreak.
On his Facebook page, the mayor suggests that family members social distance at home during mealtimes and refrain from sharing utensils. He advises people to “wash [their] hands before eating, eat from separate plates, and eat apart from one another.” Mayor Ko also advised people to wear masks at home between meals.
Mayor Ko said, “I think most people won’t be used to this, but in these extreme times, eating together will increase the chances of transmission. Not eating together is a way to protect each other. We must keep the virus at bay. A family’s love for each other is always there.”
The mayor’s Facebook post received over 60,000 likes, 2,000 shares and 2,000 comments in less than 24 hours.
