TAIPEI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Passengers aboard trains, buses and ships across Taiwan will be banned from eating and drinking from Feb. 1 amid a resurgence of COVID-19, the island's transport department said Friday.
Eating and drinking will also be prohibited on planes, except on international and cross-Strait flights, the department said in a press release.
Airports, railway stations, harbors, highway service areas and tourist sites will double the frequency of disinfection from Feb. 8 to 16, the prime season for homecoming during the Spring Festival, the statement said.
Gathering events at railway station halls will be suspended during this period.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Taiwan has risen to 899 as of Friday, with four new imported cases from the Philippines and South Africa, according to the local epidemic monitoring agency.
Among the confirmed cases, seven died, 813 have recovered and 79 remain hospitalized. Enditem
