- Title: Taiwan's baseball fans return to stadiums as coronavirus spread ebbs
- Date: 8th May 2020
- Summary: SOLDIERS IN HAZMAT SUITS SINGING TAIWAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
- Embargoed: 22nd May 2020 16:00
- Keywords: baseball coronavirus covid-19 epidemic prevention taiwan
- Location: NEW TAIPEI, TAIWAN
- City: NEW TAIPEI, TAIWAN
- Country: Taiwan
- Topics: Health/Medicine,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA004CD2JTXJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Baseball fans in Taiwan were excited to be allowed back into stadiums on Friday (May 8) as the government started relaxing some controls implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Drumming and chanting could be heard in the Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei, where the home team Fubon Guardians won 7-6 against the Uni-President Lions.
Taiwan has been relatively successful at controlling the virus, with 440 cases to date and six deaths, thanks to early prevention and detection efforts. The island has never gone into total lockdown though the government has promoted social distancing and face masks.
Both the baseball and soccer seasons got underway in Taiwan last month, but without spectators, providing rare live action for fans at home at a time when the pandemic has shut down most professional sport around the globe.
One thousand spectators were allowed in to baseball matches on Friday in New Taipei and the central city of Taichung. Fans were required to undergo temperature checks, wear face masks and sit at least one metre apart.
Baseball is wildly popular in Taiwan, thanks to a strong cultural influence from Japan and the United States. To meet global appetite for any sports events at a time when many other countries have been locked down, baseball games in Taiwan have been providing English-language commentary, attracting rare attention from foreign fans and media.
(Production: Fabian Hamacher) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.