Taichung, Taiwan (Indonesia Window) – Organizing the 2020 Lantern Festival is quite challenging for the Taiwanese government following the outbreak of a new coronavirus which has become the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) announced by the World Health Organization (WHO on January 31, 2020.

However, the Taiwanese government guaranteed that the 2020 Lantern Festival in Taichung on February 8 - 23 was safe to visit.

At a press conference in Taichung on Saturday (Feb 8), Deputy Mayor Lee hop Ron dah said people and foreign tourists need not worry about the outbreak in the festival venue.

"A number of measures have been taken. Visitors can wear masks and always use hand sanitizers," the deputy mayor said.

He admitted that the outbreak had an impact on the number of visitors this year.

"Last year there were 10 million visitors. We expect this year the number will reach more than 10 million even though the corona virus outbreak certainly affects the number of visitors," the deputy mayor said.

According to him, some supporting facilities have been provided to prevent the spread of the virus in the Formosa Island.

"The lantern festival has been going on for a very long time. Therefore, we are optimistic," the deputy mayor said.

The Lantern Festival is one of the major national events to celebrate 15th day of the Chinese New Year.

The 2020 Lantern Festival is held in the 35-hectare World Flora Expo Forest Park area with the theme of Dazzling Taichung.

This year's festival features three exhibition zones with different themes, namely, Children’s Paradise which is suitable for families and children; Mysterious Forest that highlights the diversity of forests as well as a merger of ecological sustainability, art and aesthetics; and Art World where the traditional lanterns are displayed with multimedia technology of images, sounds, folklores and arts.

Reporting by Indonesia Window