Take-2 On Taiwan Online Mask Orders

Surgical Facemasks

Taiwan will tomorrow start its second round of online surgical mask ordering.

Coming on the back of an initial run earlier in the month, the scheme is aimed at helping those unable to get to pharmacies in the daytime to order surgical masks to help fend off COVID-19.

In making the announcement on Monday, Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) stated that like the timings seen in the first run, online ordering will see time limits applied.

Orders can only be placed from 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 25th, until 8 p.m. Friday, March 27th. The subsequent collection period for those placing successful orders will run from April 2nd to the 8th.

Orders will be confirmed via text message to mobile phones.

Upon receipt of the message, payment must be made online using the government app, or through ATM transfers between Saturday, March 28th at 8 a.m., and Monday, March 30th at 8 p.m.

As with the first round of online orders, masks can be collected at predesignated convenience stores, registered with the online system at the time orders are placed. Orders can only be collected with National Health Insurance cards, or other government issued ID.

When the system initially launched, several glitches in the online order system were recognised. It is understand the majority of glitches have now been fixed.

Mark Buckton

Mark is a journalism vet of 20 years with most of those years spent in Tokyo, Japan, as a columnist for The Japan Times and numerous other publications. His work has appeared on CNN, in the BBC, NPR, and in several dozen other media forms and publications across five continents.