Though the Level 3 COVID alert is extended for another two weeks in Taiwan, some tourist attractions have eased their restrictions and are opening up on Tuesday. But there are two extremes in terms of the number of visitors showing up in outdoor and indoor venues.
The Level 3 COVID alert is still on until July 26 but some venues have opened up. People are relieved they can finally go outdoors. Parks and aquariums have reopened but with restrictions like limits on the number of visitors.
The Chengcing Lake in Kaohsiung saw people arriving at four in the morning. A grandpa brought his granddaughter to roam around the lake. Bird lovers were there to take pictures of their favorite fowls. The place attracted close to 600 visitors in just one morning. That’s just a fourth of the usual crowd before the pandemic. The 375 hectares of land around the lake is big enough for nature lovers to enjoy themselves and observe social distancing.
Indoor venues haven’t seen many visitors though. Kaohsiung’s National Science and Technology Museum only saw eight visitors on the first day it reopened. The same empty sight was seen at Pingtung’s National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, which saw less than a tenth of their usual crowds prior to the pandemic. The outbreak is declining, but it may take a while before people feel safe about venturing to indoor tourist sites.