Taipei, Jan 30 (IANS): Passengers aboard trains, buses and ships across Taiwan will be banned from eating and drinking from February 1 amid a resurgence of Covid-19, the Transport Department said.

Eating and drinking will also be prohibited on planes, except on international and cross-Strait flights, Xinhua news agency quoted the Department as saying in a statement issued on Friday.

Airports, railway stations, harbours, highway service areas and tourist sites will double the frequency of disinfection from February 8 to 16, the prime season for homecoming during the Spring Festival, the statement said.

Gathering events at railway station halls will be suspended during this period.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Taiwan has risen to 899, with four new imported cases from the Philippines and South Africa, according to the local epidemic monitoring agency.

Till now, seven people have died due to the disease, while there were 813 recoveries and 79 hospitalisations.