Earlier this month a COVID cluster was discovered in Yilan''s Jiaoxi Township, involving several workers at Evergreen Resort Hotel. The cluster has dealt a blow to the local tourism industry, with some operators reporting that up to 40% of room bookings have been cancelled. The local township office and several tourism associations have teamed up to disinfect every corner of the hotspring town in hopes of bringing tourists back ahead of the Lunar New Year.

Disinfectant is sprayed in every nook and cranny. Jiaoxi and areas near hotels are getting a thorough cleanup to give peace of mind to tourists.

Several COVID cases have recently been found in Jiaoxi. Amid fears of impact to local tourism, the local township office and several tourism associations have banded together to launch an in-depth disinfection of the area. It covers everything from popular scenic routes, to bus and train stations, tourist information centers and local attractions such as the hot springs plaza.

Wang Wen-hsin
Yilan County Association of Tourism
We’ve been hearing operators in Jiaoxi say that 30% or 40% of room bookings for the Lunar New Year have been canceled. So over this period, the township head and the heads of all the tourism associations will go to work to disinfect Jiaoxi.

Chang Yung-te
Jiaoxi Township chief
We’re fully disinfecting all the areas with hotels, the town center and public spaces.

The intense disinfection work hopes to do away with concerns and bring back customers to the area to soften the blow on local tourism.

Several of the COVID cases in Jiaoxi worked at the Evergreen Resort Hotel, where disinfection is also underway. Fortunately, no more new cases have been found in connection to the cluster, as hotel guests and other employees have tested negative.

Lin yi-chun
Evergreen Resort Hotel
More disinfection of the premises was scheduled for the 24, the 26 and the 28, in hopes of providing a safer environment. At the same time, we plan to stay closed for longer. We won’t reopen until Jan. 29.

COVID has hit Jiaoxi’s tourism sector hard. Ahead of the Lunar New Year, local businesses are joining forces to make tourists feel at ease once again and minimize the damage to the tourism industry.