New Taipei Resumes On-site Dining Starting on Sept. 16 新北疫情趨緩 侯友宜宣布9/16起餐廳可內用

Meanwhile, school staffs and others not suitable for other vaccines top the list for leftover doses of BNT vaccines.

Presenter: New Taipei City's ban on on-site dining will be lifted on the 16 as originally scheduled as Mayor Hou Yu-ih said the epidemic situation is developing positively. Meanwhile, students will begin receiving the BNT vaccine next week. 

Taipei began administering the second dose of the AZ vaccine to people aged 75 and above on Sept. 15. The majority of the people showed up for their appointments. It is estimated that 130,000 senior citizens will be fully vaccinated by Sept. 20. The 35,000 senior citizens whose household registration is in Taipei but didn't make an appointment can get vaccinated during the five days of Sept. 20 and between Sept. 22 and 25. The 5,500 without household registration in Taipei can register via telephone. 

Schools will begin vaccinating students with the BNT vaccine next week. So far, 93.8 percent have returned consent forms, and 4.8 percent have failed to return the form or refused. The Taipei City Government admitted the percentage was higher than expected. As for leftover doses, teaching and administrative staff who have doctor's certificates saying other brands are not suitable for them will receive priority. The objective is to not waste any doses.

Tsai Ping-kun, Taipei City Deputy Mayor:”Let's say there are no more (teaching and administrative staff) that fall into the first, second, and third priority groups. The hospitals that are overseeing the vaccination are all located near the schools, so they can bring the leftover doses back and administer them there. The priority is to not waste a single dose.”

New Taipei City suspended on-site dining after the eruption of a cluster infection originating at a preschool and caused by the Delta variant. It has spread to communities and Taoyuan, and there are 32 cases linked to the cluster. The ban ended on Sept. 15. Mayor Hou Yu-ih said the issue of whether to resume on-site dining will be discussed and an announcement will be made.

Hou Yu-ih, New Taipei City Mayor:”Our epidemic situation is relatively stable, but we need to better implement disease prevention measures in the future. We'll hold a meeting later on today to discuss this issue, and I'll make an announcement this afternoon.”

Hou said the situation appears to be stable now. A few people quarantining at home have gone from negative to positive, but the situation is developing positively.

台北市75歲以上、第二劑AZ疫苗第一天施打，報到率高，13萬名長者，20日前可以施打完畢，設籍台北市沒有預約的3萬5千多位長者，將在20日、22到25日五天施打，至於未設籍北市的5500多位，開放電話登記。

下週校園BNT疫苗開打，目前收回的校園接種意願書，只有93.8%同意，沒交回、表達沒意願的有4.8%、北市坦承比率有點高。至於殘劑施打順序，校內教職員、有醫生證明不適合接種其他疫苗者為第一優先，最高原則就是不浪費疫苗。

台北市副市長 蔡炳坤：「如果說一二三類(校內教職員)都沒有了，其實來負責接種的責任的醫院都在附近而已，所以第四優先就是讓責任醫院把疫苗帶回院裡面去做接種，反正最高原則就是不要浪費任何一劑的疫苗。」

新北幼兒園群聚感染蔓延到社區和桃園，目前累計32人確診，也為了因應Delta來襲，新北禁止餐廳內用到15日，隨著疫情趨緩，新北市長侯友宜強調，會經過討論再再正式公布餐廳內用是否開放。

新北市長 侯友宜：「我們的疫情相對的穩定，不過到底未來在穩定的過程當中我們如何把防疫做到更落實，今天等一下我們會再開會做一個討論，討論以後我今天下午會正式對外來做一個公布。」

侯友宜強調，疫情目前看起來是穩定的，除了少數居家隔離陰轉陽，大概都穩穩地往好的方向走。