The Ministry of Economic Affairs announced that the government will continue to requisition eight million surgical face masks per day until the end of July, despite the coronavirus situation easing off here in Taiwan.

Pupils all across Taiwan returned to school yesterday following a mandatory three week extension of their Chinese New Year holidays as a precautionary measure in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Ministry of Labor set this year's Equal Pay Day on 21 February, two days earlier than last year, based on estimates that women needed to work that far into the year to earn the same amount that men did last year.

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (LY) has passed a bill authorising a series of measures aimed at supporting businesses and workers in Taiwan affected by the 2019 novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The Special Act on COVID-19 Prevention, Relief and Restoration was shortly afterwards signed into law by President Tsai Ing-wen. The act authorises the use of NT$60 billion (US$1.9 billion). Implementation is backdated to activities starting from 15 January this year and will end on 30 June next year.

Authorities in Italy have imposed strict quarantine restrictions in the two northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, close to Milan and Venice, following a large coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Taiwan's official unemployment rate reached 4% in July, according to the monthly Manpower Survey Results report by the Directorate General of Budget Accounting & Statistics (DGBAS).

Taiwan's export orders in July rose 6.9% compared with the same month in 2019 when measured in NT dollars.

The Judicial Yuan has started seminars in preparation for a new jury system that involves ordinary citizens.

Italian authorities have extended emergency measures to cover the entire country in an attempt to stop the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

The coronavirus pandemic has given companies and employees a mandatory crash course in remote working, offering valuable insights and best practices

By Duncan Levine

Taiwan has been ranked the second freest country in Asia with a total score of 93 points in the latest edition of the "Freedom in the World" report by the US-based NGO, Freedom House. That ranking was the same as that of last year.

Taiwan's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for July rose back into positive territory for the first time in four months.