IMPROVEMENTS PROMISED: His instructions were not clear enough when he announced the grants on Monday, confusing people and local district staff, the premier said

Taipei Times
Date: May 08, 2020
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday apologized and promised improvements after chaotic scenes outside local government offices on Wednesday as uninsured workers waited in long lines to apply for NT$10,000 grants, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) blasted the Cabinet for not caring about ordinary people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district offices’ lack of efficiency in handling the grant applications has come under fire, as well as the confusing eligibility rules.

Nationwide, district office employees on Wednesday only approved 12 of the 10,313 applicants, Yang Chin-ching (楊錦青), director-general of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Social Assistance and Social Work told reporters at the Executive Yuan in Taipei.

Su later told a news conference that the chaos occurred after he did not make his instructions clear enough when he announced the grants on Monday, which led to competition among applicants.    [FULL  STORY]