The highly contagious disease Coronavirus has taken the world by surprise. It has left behind a trail of death, and it does not have any cure. Doctors recommend a few measures associated with personal hygiene for individuals' safety while scientists are working on a vaccine. In this context, Taiwan stands out as an exception because it has successfully tackled the disease. With a population of about 23 million, the island nation marked its 200th consecutive day without a single case of local infection. It is a creditable performance for the authorities because they handled it with a firm hand.

They did it without enforcing strict lockdowns or imposing restrictions on civil freedoms.

CNN says the response of Taiwan to the coronavirus pandemic has been effective. Its last reported infection was on April 12. That was Easter Sunday, and as of Thursday, it had 553 confirmed cases with seven deaths. Taiwan's landmark achievement is significant when some European countries struggle to contain the spread of infection and are imposing lockdown once again. The population of the state of Florida is similar to that of Taiwan, and the American state has more than 4000 cases as per the latest information.

Speedy response overpowered coronavirus

Prompt action by Taiwanese authorities helped to check the spread of the coronavirus.

One of the first things they did was screen passengers who arrived on direct flights from Wuhan, the point of origin of the disease. CNN adds that the disease was first identified on December 31, 2019, and the first incident in Taiwan appeared on January 21. Immediately, they imposed a ban on people from Wuhan who Travel to the island.

Then came compulsory screening of passengers who arrived from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao. By March, Taiwan imposed a ban on foreign nationals' entry except for diplomats, residents, and those with special entry visas. Incidentally, North Korea slammed an emergency in Kaesong after a coronavirus patient surfaced.

Short borders helped check coronavirus in Taiwan

Taiwan had a geographical advantage over countries in the West because it was an island. That helped the authorities to exercise strict control of both entry and exit across its borders. Moreover, Taiwan had faced the SARS epidemic in 2003, and the experience was useful to tackle the coronavirus. CNN quotes Foreign Minister Joseph Wu saying - "So when we heard that there were some secret pneumonia cases in China where patients were treated in isolation, we knew it was something similar." The administration ramped up facemask and protective equipment production and emphasized mass testing and effective contact tracing. These generate parameters that assist in decision-making.

Vietnam also controlled coronavirus by making prompt decisions at all levels.

Taiwan does not face a second wave of coronavirus

According to Time, Taiwan ensured there is no second wave by taking timely actions. It recorded 200 days without a single case of local transmission of the disease. An infectious disease physician says - "Taiwan is the only major country that has so far been able to keep community transmission of COVID-19 eliminated." He appreciated the efforts in a situation where people live close to one another in apartments. However, Taiwan did record a few imported cases in the past two weeks. Most of them were from Southeast Asian countries. In order to make people stay in quarantine, Taiwan took certain steps to deliver meals and groceries to them. There was also some friendly contact via Line Bot. This is a robot that texts and chats. Those who break quarantine have to pay heavy fines - that acted as a deterrent.
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