He got back to Taiwan without incident, and did 14 days’ home isolation. Barnes says the financial crisis of 2007-2008 taught him a lesson about the precariousness of his industry: “Travel is a luxury business. After South Africa, Barnes will again spend 14 days in home isolation. Asked if he thinks that the pandemic has permanently shifted work and travel habits, Lu shakes his head: “Not in my industry. Most of the decision-makers are pretty traditional.”Steven Crook has been writing about travel, culture and business in Taiwan since 1996.

COVID-19: KMT increases criticism of ‘failed’ vaccine policyBy Lin Liang-sheng and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday doubled down on its criticism of the government’s COVID-19 vaccine policy, saying it has failed to make adequate preparations for emerging variants. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang, third right, and other party members outside the Landseed Hospital in Taoyuan yesterday hold signs and donations for the hospital. Photo: Hsu Chuo-hsun, Taipei Times“We have made no preparations to administer three [COVID-19] vaccine jabs or acquire second-generation vaccines,” he said. Taiwan should pursue international COVID-19 vaccine contract manufacturing orders, purchase huge quantities of vaccines and develop second-generation vaccines domestically, Chu said. The KMT supports Taiwan developing its own COVID-19 vaccines, but their safety should be backed by international certification, or Taiwan’s biotechnology industry would be damaged if locally made vaccines turn out to be problematic, he said.

FSC approves two e-payment firmsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterPxmart (全聯) and FamilyMart Co Ltd (全家便利商店) yesterday gained Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) approval to provide electronic payment services through subsidiaries, the FSC said yesterday. Twenty-eight companies offer e-payment services in Taiwan, with 13 million users as of the end of April, FSC data showed. PxPay has 7 million members, while 13 million Taiwanese have a FamilyMart membership, it added. In related news, a MasterCard Taiwan (萬事達) survey found that more than 75 percent of respondents used mobile payment tools more often than they did before a surge of COVID-19 cases last month. Half of the respondents used the tools every day, up 30 percentage points from before the outbreak, the company said.

Animal protection groups seek to block Tainan zoo from importing giraffesBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterRepresentatives from a coalition of animal protection groups yesterday urged the government to reject a Tainan zoo’s plans to import giraffes and other wild animals from Eswatini. Two giraffes, Pi Pi, left, and Ni Ni, are pictured in an enclosure at Wanpi World Safari Zoo in Tainan’s Syuejia District in an undated photograph. Pi Pi died suddenly, leaving Ni Ni as the only giraffe at the zoo. Chiang said that the zoo treats wild animals like “dolls” that can be replaced, adding that instead of importing more animals, it should focus on improving the welfare of the animals it already has. Giraffes have always been a mainstay at the Wanpi World Safari Zoo, Taiwan Animal Equality Association (TAEA) researcher Sera Lim (林婷憶) said.

John Oliver: Taiwan worth deep diveA petition was launched last week to request the British-American comedian, who was once banned in China for roasting Xi Jinping, to do an episode on TaiwanBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterBritish-American John Oliver roasted Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) in 2018 and slammed China’s treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang last year. A screen grab of the petition launched last week for British-American comedian John Oliver to do a segment on Taiwan. Screen grab: Han Cheung, Taipei Times“For a lot of us who write about Taiwan, I feel that our audience is just people who care about Taiwan,” Cody says. He also tends to do in-depth things and I think Taiwan really needs an in-depth look. So I was up late and I thought, ‘Why don’t I pull a stunt and see if I can get something to happen?’”British-American comedian John Oliver doing a deep dive on Chinese President Xi Jinping.

COVID-19: Groups visit AIT offices to thank for vaccine donation‘A FRIEND INDEED’: AIT officials in Taipei could not accept a bouquet in person due to virus restrictions, but the Kaohsiung office gave advocates a warm welcomeBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterAdvocates and academics yesterday visited the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) offices in Taipei and Kaohsiung to express their gratitude for the US’ donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) led associates to the AIT compound in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) to leave a bouquet of flowers in appreciation for the 2.5 million Moderna vaccine doses donated by the US. Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen holds a bouquet of flowers outside the American Institute in Taiwan building in Taipei yesterday. That contrasted with the warm reception the AIT’s Kaohsiung office gave advocates and academics that presented it with 12 pots of orchids yesterday. National University of Kaohsiung president Chen Yueh-tuan (陳月端) led a delegation — including Southern Taiwan Society executives, Presbyterian Church of Taiwan officials, medical organizations and pro-Taiwan groups — that was received by Kaohsiung office director Mason Yu (禹道瑞), media reports said.

Pregnant women to be prioritizedBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that pregnant women would be added to the sixth priority group for COVID-19 vaccinations, and they would be eligible along with the seventh and eighth priority groups in the next round of vaccine distribution. “Pregnant women and people aged 65 and older are certain to be included in the next round of vaccinations,” Chen said yesterday. Chen said pregnant women would be included in the sixth priority group with people aged 75 and older, and that they would be allowed to choose which vaccine they wish to receive. There are about 180,000 pregnant women, about 86,000 people in the seventh priority group of essential workers for maintaining national security and normal societal functions, and about 1.98 million people in the eighth priority group. An estimated 5.7 million people are in the top eight priority groups, the list showed.

Majority of firms hopeful about property investmentBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterMost Taiwanese companies remain positive about the property market and plan to raise their stakes in it in the coming 12 months, a survey released yesterday by Colliers International Taiwan (高力國際) showed. “Eighty-five percent of respondents held positive views, although most put off investment amid the virus outbreak,” the local branch of the Canadian company said. Sixty-six percent said they intended to increase their stake in the market and 80 percent believed property prices would remain stable, it added. Most Taiwanese companies remain positive about the property market and plan to raise their stakes in it in the coming 12 months, a survey released yesterday by Colliers International Taiwan showed. The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping people’s lifestyles and giving birth to a stay-at-home economy highlighted by online shopping and remote working, Colliers Taiwan said.

EDITORIAL: Mental health crucial during outbreakAs a local COVID-19 outbreak continues, it is encouraging to see more government agencies and civic organizations paying attention to mental health. The latest to reach out is the Hsinchu County Department of Health, whose counseling services had been discontinued due to the outbreak. Many people still think it is shameful to be mentally unwell and that only people with serious problems seek counseling or take medication for mental health issues. Amid an unfortunate situation, it is a welcome development that more people are talking about mental health. Hopefully, the government will also do what is needed in ensuring that people with mental health issues have easy access to resources and therapy.

Kim Forest revenue doubled last monthCOVID-19 TESTING: A spokesman said that the firm can analyze up to 10,000 samples a day, while the maximum number of samples collected in Taipei daily is about 2,000By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterKim Forest Enterprise Co (金萬林), which focuses on molecular testing, yesterday reported that revenue last month doubled from a year earlier to a record NT$54.04 million (US$1.95 million) as domestic demand for COVID-19 testing rose amid an outbreak in Taiwan. Photo courtesy of Chi Mei Medical CenterAs Kim Forest produces test kits for SARS-CoV-2 — which causes COVID-19 — supplies its own PCR machines and is an agent for foreign-made PCR machines, its labs have ample capacity to facilitate testing, he said. Although the lab entity is not a company, Kim Forest owns it, so could still recognize the revenue into its consolidated figures, he said. “The revenue structure is different from last year, when the main source of revenue was overseas sales of PCR machines,” Yang said. In the first five months of this year, Kim Forest’s cumulative revenue grew 76.43 percent annually to NT$164 million, company data showed.

COVID-19: Avoid strenuous activity after jabHELPING HAND: Family members and caregivers can help older people by massaging their legs during the two days following vaccination, a doctor saidBy Huang Ming-tang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA Taitung County doctor yesterday advised older people receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to avoid engaging in strenuous activity for a few days following vaccination. They should particularly avoid over-exerting the arm they were vaccinated in, Huang Yi-chun (黃奕竣) said. Medical workers from Shin Kong Memorial Wu Ho-Su Hospital vaccinate people against COVID-19 at the National Taiwan Science Education Center in Taipei’s Shilin District yesterday. People rest for 15 minutes after receiving a dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination event in New Taipei City yesterday. Family members and caregivers can help older people by massaging their legs during the two days following vaccination to help the blood flow, he said.

CECC reports 132 local cases and eight deathsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 132 cases of locally transmitted COVID-19, and eight deaths. The center has reported fewer than 200 cases for three consecutive days, and the number of cases yesterday was the lowest since a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert was issued on May 19. Of the 41 cases reported outside of Taipei and New Taipei City, the infection sources of 33 cases have been identified, while six remain unclear and two are under investigation, Chen said. The eight deaths are three men and five women, who were in their 50s to 90s and had underlying health conditions, CECC data showed. As of Sunday, 249 community testing stations had been set up across the nation, the CECC said.

Breaking under the outbreakWith school suspended and businesses shuttered, many single-parent families are especially hard hit by the level three alert restrictionsBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterWith no way to make money during the outbreak and a developmentally delayed third-grader to raise alone, the only thing Mr Lin (林) can do is pray for vaccines. With the latest outbreak shuttering massage parlors across the nation, he is now out of a job. A social worker provides supplies to families seriously affected by the recent outbreak. About 38 percent of the families were earning less than NT$20,000 per month, and 46 percent held temporary or service industry jobs that were the first to be hit by the outbreak. Foot massage shops in Taipei are shuttered due to the recent outbreak.

Hua Nan to help transform Taipei’s Yangming TheaterBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterState-run Hua Nan Commercial Bank (華南銀行) last week said that it is teaming up with the 70-year-old Yangming Theater (陽明戲院) in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) to pursue urban renewal and help it transform into a mixed-use complex. The venture would help enhance Hua Nan Commercial’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) rating. Yangming Theater is pictured in Taipei’s Shilin District on Aug. 2, 2019. Photo: Tsai Ya-hua, Taipei TimesThe planned complex would retain the name of Yangming Theater to help people gain a better understanding of its history, Hua Nan Commercial added. Hua Nan Commercial and other listed companies in Taiwan are shoring up their ESG ratings, which serve as an investment guide for shareholders.

Manufacturers face orders pressureFUNDAMENTAL CHANGE? Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei TimesExport orders are an indicator of actual exports in the following one to three months. “Manufacturers named business orders and profit declines as the most serious challenges they face, despite clear order visibility in the previous six months,” the survey said, adding that it remains to be seen if the downturn will be short-lived or a fundamental change. Customers at home and abroad have turned cautious about placing orders after virus infections escalated in Taiwan, it said, citing manufacturers of information and communications devices as an example. The federation called on the government to accelerate vaccinations, cut business taxes and make manufacturers eligible for wage subsidy programs as service providers.