TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The chairman of the temple that organizes the annual Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage (大甲媽祖遶境) told the media on Thursday (Feb. 27) that the temple had donated NT$30 million (US$980,000) to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for COVID-19 prevention and control.

Jenn Lann Temple chairman Yen Ching-piao (顏清標) went on to announce that the pilgrimage would be postponed indefinitely due to concern that the mass gathering would put the public's health at risk during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a SETN news report.

He was then asked by a reporter whether he had already fulfilled his promise to donate NT$30 million to the Taiwan CDC. Yen said that he had made the bank transfer on Wednesday (Feb. 26), and he then produced a receipt.

When probed about when the pilgrimage would resume, he said, “Let’s eradicate the epidemic first before making any decisions, as nothing can be decided now. So let’s do whatever we can to cooperate with the government.”