The current Level 2 COVID-19 alert has been extended for another two weeks to
Oct. 4.

Taiwan has been under the Level 2 alert since July 27, and it was to expire
on Sept. 20 before the CECC announced a two-week extension for a fourth time.

Under the Level 2 alert, people need to wear a face mask when they are
outside their residence, and the number of people attending indoor and
outdoor gatherings will remain capped at 80 and 300 people, respectively.

Certain entertainment venues, such as dance halls, bars, clubs and KTV
parlors, will still not be allowed to open.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced a set of new rules on
holding conventions and trade fairs.

They require organizers to submit a disease prevention plan to local
governments three weeks before the scheduled event.

And at least 60 percent of the people working at an event must have received
at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Taiwan recorded 12 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

One of those was transmitted domestically and the other 11 were contracted
overseas.

The new domestic case was a Taipei resident in her 60s.

On Sept. 10, she tested negative for COVID-19 prior to being admitted to a
hospital, but her daughter, who was set to accompany her during her hospital
stay, tested positive on Sept. 15.

The woman was tested for the disease again on Sept. 17, and the results came
back positive.

The 11 new imported cases involved five Taiwanese and six foreign nationals
who recently traveled to Taiwan from Russia, the United States, Honduras,
Singapore, Canada, the Czech Republic, Poland, Myanmar, South Africa, and
Cambodia.

And there was one death from the disease, a man in his 70s who passed away on
Sept. 10.

To date, Taiwan has confirmed a total of 16,141 COVID-19 cases, of which
14,412 are domestic infections reported since May 15.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the country has risen to 840.

The Alishan Forest Recreation Area in Chiayi County welcomed at least 3,600
visitors on the second day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

That is the most of any day since Taiwan was hit by a major COVID-19 outbreak
in mid-May.

As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday there were over 3,600 visits to the popular tourist
attraction.

Travel to the area, known for its ancient cedar and cypress forests, has
been limited since a surge in COVID-19 cases in Taiwan in mid-May.

Reservation rates for hotel rooms reached 90 percent on Sunday.

Local media is reporting that a second batch of BioNTech vaccines is
scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on September 22.

The batch is said to include 700 thousand to 800 thousand doses, this time
labelled with traditional Chinese characters.

Registration opened again this morning at 10 a.m. for vaccination
appointments. Interested parties can book to receive either the BNT or
Medigen vaccine.

Medigen vaccinations will be given between September 27 and October 2. BNT
vaccinations will be between September 25 and October 2.

Those aged between 18 and 22, over the age of 65, and those within the ninth
priority group will be given priority.

(RD)

A retired military police officer formerly in charge of police dogs said the
government should establish a national center for the training and breeding
of police dogs.

Liu Hsin Hung and other officers said most police dogs are currently adopted
from the public domain and lack the necessary genetic makeup for good
detection work.

Liu said the majority are stray dogs adopted before they reach the age of
two, and whether trained within the Army or Navy, he said a high amount fail
basic training.

He provided an example of one adopted dog that ran away on its first day on
the field because it wasn't used to a noisy environment.

Liu suggested Taiwan adopts the Australian training model, which only allows
the best genetic matches of certain breeds to become detective dogs.

(RD)

The Freeway Bureau is recommending travelers heading north today to set off
before the afternoon today to avoid heavy traffic and stand stills.

The bureau said those taking National Freeway 5 today could encounter a
sevenfold increase in driving time.

Major roads heading north and east are particularly suspectible to traffic
jams.

Total traffic flow is expected to reach 122 million vehicle kilometers: one
point four times the annual average on regular days.

Particular traffic jam hotspots include the Hsinchu System interchange
between 4 and 9, and the Wufeng System Interchange between 3 and 8 on
National Freeway 1.

Travel time will be four times the average on National Freeway 3 from Guanxi
to Daxi and Dashan to Xiangshan between 3 and 8.

And over the next hour, travel time will be seven times the average from
Yilan to Pinglin on the National Freeway 5.

(RD)