There will not be a pride parade in 2021 in Taipei nor in any other city. Highly annoying, though not unexpected. Even though half of the people in Taiwan will have at least the first shot and at least 10% fully vaccinated by mid-October (including me), an event of 100,000 people is just too big a risk for the government to permit.
Bars and nightclubs are closed, so there won’t be any large Hallowe’en parties either, though the CECC currently allows private indoor gatherings of up to eighty people, and outdoor ones up to three hundred. I and others are looking at a rental hall for a small self-catered Hallowe’en event.
I’m definitely organizing a Walpurgisnacht event next April 30th (a Saturday), because nobody ruins my main holiday of the year. Who knows, if vaccine rates are high enough and restrictions reduced to Level 1, there could be a pride parade around or during Chinese New Year (year of the tiger). It’s not like anyone can travel.
From Taiwan Rainbow Pride’s facebook page:
| 臺灣同志遊行 Taiwan LGBT Pride 每年10月30日舉行，但受COVID-19（2019冠狀病毒疾病 / #這中國武漢肺炎）影響，主辦單位今天說，今年遊行將首度改線上辦理，設置互動式網站讓民眾線上參與，不開放民眾到場。 . 臺灣每年10月30日都會舉辦同志遊行，今年邁入第19屆，主辦單位日前透過臉書粉絲專頁宣布，今年同志遊行主題為「友善日常 in Taiwan」，且遊行形式首度為「線上為主、街頭為輔」。[. . .]#臺灣彩虹公民行動協會 秘書長 #蔡雅婷 今天告訴中央社記者，同志遊行舉辦多年，依照過去舉辦經驗，光是志工人數就會違反中央流行疫情指揮中心的規定，因此今年將首度轉為線上辦理，不開放民眾遊行。 |
Taiwan LGBT Pride [. . .] organisers said today that this year’s parade It will be the first time to change the line, set up interactive websites for the public to participate online, not open to the public to attend.
Taiwan hosts a gay march every year on [the last Saturday in October]. #Taiwan Rainbow Citizen s’ Action Association Secretary-General #Wu Yaxing told the CPS reporters today that comrade marches have been held for many years. According to past experience, the number of volunteers alone will violate the regulations of the Central Epidemic Command Center, so this year will It will not be open to public procession. |
From CNA (Central News Agency) Taiwan:
| 台灣同志遊行首度改線上 不開放民眾入場（中央社記者吳欣紜台北8日電）台灣同志遊行每年10月30日舉行，但受COVID-19（2019冠狀病毒疾病）影響，主辦單位今天說，今年遊行將首度改線上辦理，設置互動式網站讓民眾線上參與，不開放民眾到場。
台灣每年10月30日都會舉辦同志遊行，今年邁入第19屆，主辦單位日前透過臉書粉絲專頁宣布，今年同志遊行主題為「友善日常 in Taiwan」，且遊行形式首度為「線上為主、街頭為輔」。 台灣彩虹公民行動協會秘書長蔡雅婷今天告訴中央社記者，同志遊行舉辦多年，依照過去舉辦經驗，光是志工人數就會違反中央流行疫情指揮中心的規定，因此今年將首度轉為線上辦理，不開放民眾遊行。 |
Taiwan gay parade changed its line for the first time, not open to people(Central News Agency reporter Wu Xinjun, Taipei, 8th) Taiwan’s gay parade is held on October 30 every year. However, due to the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the organizer said today that the parade will be reorganized online for the first time this year, and an interactive website will be set up. Online participation by the public is not open to the public to attend.
Taiwan holds a gay parade every October 30th. This year is entering its 19th edition. The organizer recently announced through its Facebook fan page that the theme of this year’s gay parade is “Friendly Daily in Taiwan” and the parade format is “Online for the first time.” The main and the street are the auxiliary.” Cai Yating, secretary-general of the Rainbow Citizen Action Association of Taiwan, told a reporter from the Central News Agency today that gay parades have been held for many years. According to past experience, the number of volunteers alone will violate the regulations of the Central Epidemic Command Center. Therefore, this year, it will be transferred online for the first time. |
Pilots have been complaining that the public sees them as the “bad guys”. Instead of bristling at criticism, why don’t they tell their fellow pilots to obey quarantine procedures? Or agree to tighter regulations? It’s bad enough that they are only required to quarantine for seven days, not fourteen, without them openly flouting the minimal rules. All three mass outbreaks since the new year were caused by pilots violating the CECC’s guidelines: first the first last December, the the largest outbreak in May, and the most recent in August.
I wish I had the voice to talk to the government and they would listen:
1. Put the pilots on a thirteen week rotation system.
2. They work for six weeks, flying in and out, living sequestered at an airport hotel. They can rest sufficiently between flights, and are isolated from the general population. They can talk to their families online and by phone in real time.
3. They quarantine for two weeks at another hotel separated from active pilots. Then they get five consecutive weeks off to rest, living with their families.
This would eliminate the possibility of violating quarantine rules while not impinging excessively on their personal lives. This is what mining companies do when working in remote locations (e.g. the Arctic), they work for extended periods then have extended time off after travelling home. But unlike miners and other FIFO and DIDO workers (fly/drive in, fly/drive out), they would still have access to conveniences, entertainment, food, etc. and have live communication with their families. They could even meet them in person if separated by a barrier. The mental health issues would not be the same as it is for those working in isolated locations.
(including me)
Congrats.
Got my second shot in July. It was a relief though I am still paranoid and masked. Our local vacs rate is just under 805 and the covid stats seem to like it.
Not yet. October 6 is my scheduled second shot, so I was speaking terms of weeks before the (now cancelled) parade.
I am really glad the number of obnoxious and selfish twits has been so few here. It makes rebounding from outbreaks really quick.
Man, what a twisted experience it is living through a pandemic in the US.
I look at that vaccination rate, and I think, that’s awfully low! Case rates must be raging out of control over there, if they’re doing something as drastic and extreme as closing down bars!
Then I looked at what the case rates are over there, and… holy cow.
I know you’re disappointed not to have a parade, and I sympathize. But from my perspective, I’d MUCH rather be disappointed that I can’t go anywhere because events are cancelled and places are closed, than be disappointed that I can’t go anywhere because I’m a responsible human and I recognize it’s not safe to do so, even though everything is open and the bars are filled with anti-mask plague rats.
I know this post sounds like “woe is me”. . . .
Last year’s parade was like a beacon of hope for the world, a sign that things were normal *somewhere*. This year, it’s a big mess everywhere, more about doing the work of reaching herd immunity. With any luck, 2022 is when we start to see the biggest change, and prevent the spread before it does US/India/Peru levels of damage in the least vaccinated parts.
I sure hope things turn around. Too many unknowns about what the actual herd immunity threshold is, and who knows what the next dominant variant will be like.
But then, I wasn’t sure there would even be an effective vaccine in the first place, and I was pleasantly surprised. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed, for all our sakes!