The Taipei International Book Exhibition has announced to extend the exhibition to May following the heightened alert of coronavirus. However, the Taipei International Comics & Animation Festival is on according to schedule. The organizer requests people to measure their body temperature and spray alcohol before entering the exhibition hall which has slowed down the entrance time at the door. 90 percent of people who are at the show wear a mask autonomously but there are still some who don't feel the need.
Measuring forehead temperature, making sure it does not exceed 37.5 Celsius and spraying alcohol on both hands to disinfect, these are all precaution measures taken at the Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival, which starts on January 31. As the first large indoor exhibition after the Lunar New Year holidays, 90 percent of the people attending the exhibition are wearing a mask themselves, but some can still be seen not wearing any.
The epidemic makes no difference. My passion for comics outweighs the epidemic.
We will not be deterred. Our love for comics and animation will not diminished by the epidemic.
Sixty-five exhibitors with over 500 booths are in full alert. Some exhibitors require their employees to wear gloves and measure their forehead temperature before entering the booth. They even put restrictions on the number of people in the hopes of putting forth a full protection.
There are always crowds at the Comics and Animation Festival. Our booth will exercise control on the number of people in the hopes that not too many people stay inside at the same time for too long.
The organizer said the exhibition set-up was in fact finished before the Lunar New Year holidays. In terms of the epidemic in Taiwan, large indoor activities could still take place as scheduled. However, two exhibitors and two foreign guests decided not to come due to the coronavirus outbreak. Guests or performers who still wish to participate in the events of the exhibition, will be required to wear masks and hand-shakes with the crowds are forbidden.
Anyone who goes on our AB stage is required to wear a mask regardless of what activity one is engaging. Everyone is enforced to wear a mask. If the measured forehead temperature exceeds 37.5 Celsius, then one is forbidden to enter. We will also put a certain distance between our guests and consumers.
Around 300,000 people participate in the International Animation and Comic Festival every year and the outbreak of coronavirus doesn't seem to affect the passion of the comic fans. Many people were fully loaded with souvenirs after coming out of the exhibition. The Taipei Game Show will also take place as scheduled on February 6.