I don't go much out lately, I mainly stay at home in my suburban apartment, however a few days ago I had some errands to do, and so I went to Taipei 101 area. I had a little time to visit the Apple store, and to nobody's surprise, the store was almost empty. There was about 2 times more staff than visitors (picture was taken around noon).
There are no more tourists in Taipei 101 after the government banned entry.
Shelves are full, aisles are empty.
A few people were resting.It used to be so crowded
Here are some pictures I took inside the same Apple store in May 2018. This was one of the most vibrant parts of the very posh Taipei 101 mall, popular with local and foreign visitors. At that time this was also the only Apple store in the city as well as in the country (the Xinyi A13 store was revealed in June 2019).
Lots of happy people.
This area as well as the mall were so crowded.I don't know, it's really sad. So far (knock on wood), Taiwan has not yet had a major local outbreak of the coronavirus. The government has done a good job to keep us safe, but as a result, foreign nationals are banned from entry since March 21, that is already more 3 weeks from today. We're basically locked out from the world, and for an island country that's a bit scary, even though it's safe for us. How long will this global hibernation last? How hard will it ruin the economy? I'm afraid too hard. Without a doubt, Apple will be fine, and I will not cry if the Apple store had to close: Apple will survive. We all will survive. The world just won't be the same anymore for a while.
You guys are doing well. I read that Taiwan had a day with no reported new infections. That's very good. I still maintain you're in a good spot. Don't get too depressed! Some semblance of normalcy is more likely to return in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan sooner than it will for the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI'm now less scared of the virus itself, and more about the consequences of the lockdown, such as a cratered economy and governments tightening the grip on people. This has been handled terribly in Europe and the US, there is no common sense like I see it here in East Asia. I'm sure here we'll be back to normal very soon, but for the first time in my life I'm really scared of what will happen back home.
DeleteYou and me both. I was living in Taiwan in 2016 and kinda wish I had been able to stay. If shit really goes south here, I anticipate coming back if I am able.
DeleteHey, was wondering whether you'd be willing to send me a mask with a Taiwan flag on it? I'd love to have one for the beginning of the school year this fall. I can't find them for order anywhere online (though the NBA has team masks now). Anyway, let me know and I can send you my info somehow. Hope you are doing well! Seems like things are under control, relatively speaking.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I missed your comment until today. Sorry, I'm not able to help you with this..
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