In today's news, with Trevor and Paz:
Mask rules, dirty beaches, and astronaut DNA.
All that and more, coming up next.
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口罩令會改變嗎？
Taiwan's Mask Rules May be Headed for a Change
It has been over 2 years since COVID-19 hit globally.
新型冠狀病毒肺炎至今已經在全球流行兩年了。
The rule of wearing a mask when you go out is followed in Taiwan and everywhere else.
Now, that rule may change after November.
The Central Epidemic Command Center (中央流行疫情指揮中心), or CECC, says the pandemic is getting better.
We still have to wear face masks most of the time.
But sometimes, we can take them off.
We can take them off for some things, like eating in a restaurant, jogging, or exercising outdoors.
在餐廳用餐或在戶外運動可以暫時脫口罩。
Countries like Singapore, the U.S., and many places in Europe have changed their rules about masks, too.
And rules in Taiwan might change again soon.
The government will think about ending the requirement of wearing a mask from November, if the number of cases stays low.
政府將會在11月評估考量不用戴口罩的規定。
However, there is one more thing that the government is also worried about… the upcoming flu season.
Flu season starts in Fall (秋季), and continues until the end of Spring (春季).
The government worries that people might get more severe symptoms (更嚴重的症狀) if they get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
So the government recommends that people get the flu vaccine (流感疫苗).
Experts say it is okay to get both shots at the same time, on different arms.
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英國海灘汙水危機
U.K. Closes Some Beaches
England and Wales have closed their beaches because of sewage (汙水).
How did this happen?
Heavy rain usually brings fresh air and a grassy smell to the air.
But, it has brought pollution to beaches in England and Wales.
Many beaches are closed because they are full of sewage after a heavy rain.
Sewage is dirty water that needs to be treated before it goes to the ocean or to be reused.
It should not be released before it is treated.
All that sewage can pollute the environment.
汙水在沒有被妥善的處理之前不能排放，因為會汙染環境。
And this is what's happening now in parts of the U.K.
Sewage is being dumped illegally in England's and Wales' rivers.
And those rivers flow to the sea.
This means many beaches are now covered in sewage.
This also affects many resorts (渡假村).
So the government decided to close some of them.
One of the popular swimming spots around the area called "Bath" is facing a big challenge (問題，挑戰) because of sewage.
A lot of people, including kids, love going there to swim.
And the sewage was released just upstream (上游).
Many people are worried that swimmers will accidentally drink the water which is polluted by the sewage.
This would make them very sick.
So for now, people have to take extra care and think twice before going to the beach.
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太空旅行會改變人類的基因嗎？
Space Travel Changes Astronauts' DNA
Some of us have dreamt of being astronauts (太空人) when we were young.
One day, people might travel to other planets (星球).
A lot of countries are working on sending astronauts to Mars, and preparing to set bases on the Moon.
It sounds like fun traveling out into space.
Some think that astronauts have cool equipment (裝備) and gear (工具).
And space shuttles (太空船) are also amazing!
But did you know there are a lot of risks working as an astronaut?
Scientists have found that traveling to space can change a person's DNA.
DNA is a hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms.
DNA是一種人類和所有生物都有的遺傳物質。
Every one of us has a unique (獨特的) DNA, which can tell us lots about our body.
A group of astronauts were asked to be part of an experiment before they went out into space.
有一群太空人在去太空之前做了一個實驗。
They gave blood samples before they traveled to space.
And the researchers found that some of their DNA changed.
The researchers found mutations in some of the DNA.
研究人員發現這些太空人的基因出現突變的現象。
There are many factors (因素) that can cause the mutation.
The mutation might happen because of space radiation (太空輻射).
It means astronauts might be at a higher risk of getting sick or getting a disease (疾病) like cancer.
This research is important for future missions, like landing on the moon or other planets.
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So, in today's News Bites…
The Central Epidemic Command Center says the pandemic is getting better, and may think about ending mask requirements in November, if the number of COVID-19 cases stays low.
But the government is also worried about the upcoming flu season, because some people might get the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
So the government is reminding everyone to get the flu vaccine.
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And,
England and Wales have closed their beaches because of pollution.
Many people are worried that swimmers will accidentally drink or swim in the polluted water.
So for now, people have to take extra care when going to the beach in those places.
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And,
Scientists have found that traveling to space can change a person's DNA.
Researchers took blood from a group of astronauts before they went out into space, and then again after they returned.
The researchers found mutations in some of the DNA, and think it may have happened because of space radiation.
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And that's today's episode of News Bites!