President Tsai Ing-wen says that greeting family members online rather than in person is the best way to take care of your loved ones. Her message on Monday comes via Facebook, as Taiwan celebrates a socially distanced Dragon Boat Festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival is an annual celebration that falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. Its name refers to the boat races revellers traditionally hold in canoe-shaped vessels known as dragon boats.
This year’s festival is set to be a more muted affair, with many traditional events cancelled. There has been a noticeable dip in the number of travelers on the nation’s highways and public transport over the three-day weekend, as compared with last year. Many people are electing to stay put in light of Taiwan’s most serious outbreak of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Transport officials limited bookings on the high speed rail system to 20% of capacity, but passenger numbers dropped even further, with just 5% of seats filled.
President Tsai is thanking the people of Taiwan for working together to fight the pandemic. Her wishes for the nation during the festival: “Peace and Safety for all of Taiwan.”