As part of the level three epidemic prevention measures implemented in the city, Tainan City Government announced that starting from May 25, all night markets are required to cease operations and restaurants and eateries can only stay open for takeout. Mayor Huang Wei-che stressed that since the national COVID-19 alert has been raised to Level 3, these new measures must be imposed to stop the pandemic from spreading. He also pointed out that everyone is working hard to control the situation and asked for the public’s cooperation.
To lessen the new policies’ impact on local businesses, Tainan City Government is supporting collaborations between vendors and delivery platforms to help traditional market vendors and business district operators expand their selling channels and help the public have easier access to groceries and meals.
The Mayor further explained that consumers can use the Line app or phone to place orders for food and groceries sold at markets (the East Market, Yamuliao Traditional Market, Chongde Market, Kai Yuan Public Market, and Yongkang Market) and by businesses in the Anping, Haian, Guohua-Youai, and Zhongzheng shopping districts. The products will be directly delivered to the customers’ homes fresh. Mayor Huang added that the City Government will gradually add more markets and business districts onto the service list, and hopefully these measures can lessen the risk of cluster infection.
According to Chen Kai-ling, Director-General of the Economic Development Bureau, in addition to continuing current epidemic prevention actions at public and private markets and business districts, such as reducing the number of entrances and exits, crowd flow control, and conducting regular disinfection procedures, Tainan City Government is also launching many responding measures to lessen the economic impact on businesses due to shopping behavior changes during the pandemic. There are three ways for consumers to do their grocery shopping from home: place an order on the Tainan Convenient Delivery website or via the LINE account @smallshortleg, or call the vendor directly. For more information, please visit the smallshortleg website.