Over the weekend, Taiwan became the envy of the music festival world when it staged a full-scale Ultra Music event with thousands of revellers and foreign DJs booked to perform – four of whom were fined for breaking quarantine rules.
Four foreign DJs were reportedly slapped with NT$10,000 (US$351) fines for breaking quarantine rules while they were in Taipei to perform at Road To Ultra: Taiwan on Saturday (November 14).
Taiwan News reported that, according to a Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) spokesman, the four performers slipped out of their separate rooms at a quarantine facility to meet and rehearse for the show in a common area.
This flouted Taiwan’s “one room per person” quarantine rule, and the four DJs were subsequently fined NT$10,000 each by the Taipei City Department of Health under Article 58 of the Communicable Disease Control Act.
Though the CECC did not name the offending DJs, Road To Ultra: Taiwan featured the international acts Alesso, Kayzo, Slander and Vini Vici. Taiwanese acts DJ Junior, DJ Pei and Ray Ray were also on the lineup.
The spokesman said authorities were alerted to the offence after a video showing them gathered in the indoor area without masks emerged on social media.
Yu Tsang-hua, who serves as the head of disease control for Taipei’s Department of Health, said the performers had arrived in Taiwan on October 28 and were in quarantine for 14 days until November 12.
Yu said the DJs will be required to pay the fine within seven days or be handed over to the Administrative Enforcement Agency for further action.
Thousands of festivalgoers thronged Road To Ultra: Taiwan on Saturday. Watch Ultra’s official video recap of the event below.
THANK YOU, Taiwan!
****
謝謝台灣! pic.twitter.com/arWoMivkKq
— Ultra Taiwan (@UltraTaiwan) November 14, 2020
Many music lovers took to social media to express their jealousy of Taiwanese festivalgoers, who could experience a full-scale festival (albeit with safety measures) after successfully curbing the coronavirus pandemic:
Ultra Music Festival in Taiwan. Fucking Americans who couldnt just stay the fuck home for 2 months.
— Wheelsun (@wilsoncli90) November 14, 2020
so jealous of Taiwan actually having their Ultra Music festival ☹️ lol
— cap (@_capo97) November 15, 2020
Seeing all the videos of @SlanderOfficial performing at Ultra Music Festival in Taiwan wishing I lived in a country that believes in science 😡😡😡
— Jordan Yokubonus 👑 (@JYoko14) November 14, 2020
Taiwan just had a Ultra Music Festival and we are still trying to get people to wear a mask in the US. Shit is unbelievable. #COVID19
— Noise (@Noloudnoise) November 15, 2020
Road To Ultra: Taiwan marked the Ultra franchise’s first physical event since the global pandemic began. Its last events were Road To Ultra in India and Ultra Australia in March.
Since 2017, Ultra has expanded its global roster to span 29 countries and 26 cities for an average of 45 events a year. In comparison, Road To Ultra: Taiwan 2020 was only be the festival franchise’s fifth event of 2020.