Taiwan acted early to make sure there were supplies of masks, sanitizer

CBC
Date: Mar 21, 2020
By: Caitlin Taylor, Stephanie Kampf, Tyana Grundig and David Common 

It's almost life as usual for the Lin family of Taiwan during the coronavirus pandemic — with a few noticeable exceptions.

"We didn't worry too much," said Leeli Chang, who lives with her husband, Terry Lin, and her daughter, Peggy, 8, in a suburb of Taipei.

The family, like many in Taiwan, continue to go to work, to school and out shopping as normal since the COVID-19 epidemic, but now with some precautions in place — like regular temperature checks and hand sanitizer dispensers outside most public buildings, and many people wearing masks.

Taiwan was hit hard by the SARS pandemic in 2003, but this time, the government took swift and early actions when it first became aware of an unknown pneumonia in Wuhan, China.
[FULL  STORY]

The countries seem to have found the sweet spot between a 'it’s just like the flu' reaction, and imposition of economically devastating lockdowns

National Post
Date: March 21, 2020
By: Tom Blackwell

Sandra Johnson’s husband had already left for work by the time she talked to the National Post Thursday — early Friday morning where she lives in Singapore.

His office was open, and the expat from Mississauga, Ont., was herself planning to visit a nearby mall later. She had gone to the chiropractor the day before.

The city-state of six million is an eastern Asian transportation hub and for a few days had the world’s second-highest number of COVID-19 cases. But its total stood at a modest 345 Friday, with no deaths.

And as Canadians hunker down in their homes or go on panic-buying sprees at the local grocery, life in Singapore motors on more or less as usual.    [FULL  STORY]

Returnees who visited doctors and reported coronavirus symptoms to undergo self quarantine

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/21
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An estimated 3,000 people who returned from the United States and East Asia between March 8 and March 18 might have to undergo tests for the coronavirus and stay at home, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Saturday (March 21).

The health authorities are looking through the national health insurance records of recent arrivals who sought medical care, CNA reported. These individuals will be alerted by text message to stay at home for 14 days and asked to contact the local health department, or phone 1922 to arrange for a coronavirus test.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/21/2020
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) More airlines have decided to suspend flights serving Taiwan amid plummeting demand and increasingly tight border controls set by governments around the world, including Taiwan's, to keep the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at bay.

Thai AirAsia said Saturday it will cancel all international flights from March 25 to April 25, including the Taoyuan-Chiang Mai route between Taiwan and Thailand.

AirAsia said its Taoyuan-Sabah flights and Kaohsiung-Kuala Lumpur flights between Taiwan and Malaysia, as well as all long-haul flights starting with the code D7 will be canceled from March 19 to 31, while flights from Taoyuan to Nagoya in Japan will be canceled from March 19 to April 24.

Jetstar Asia Airways said it will suspend all flights between March 23 and April 15, and Malindo Air said its Taoyuan-Kuala Lumpur flights will be canceled between March 19 and April 30.
FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 22, 2020
By: Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNA

A coffee shop owner, who was previously a nurse, created a “4D” latte art sculpture of Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) to thank him for recognizing the efforts of frontline nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Few people understand the painstaking nature of a nurse’s job, but Chen gave several pep talks to nurses, recognizing and validating their hard work, Tseng Hsiao-chiao (曾筱喬), who runs a coffee shop in Pingtung County’s Chaojhou Township (潮州), said on Monday.

Touched by Chen’s support for frontline nurses, Tseng said she used special techniques to craft the sculpture of Chen holding a microphone with a speech bubble on the side with the words: “Wear a mask, wash hands frequently and take your temperature.”

Some people have visited the shop to take phtographs with the creation, she said.   
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 20 March, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

Finance Minister Su Jain-rong says that the National Financial Stabilization Fund has been authorized to intervene in Taiwan’s financial markets if necessary.

The fund’s management committee authorized a stabilization fund of NT$500 billion (US$17 billion) Thursday after several days of turmoil on international stock markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.    [FULL  STORY]

Asia News
Date: 03/20/2020

Success against the infection will improve the international image of the "rebel province". When the virus first appeared in Wuhan, Taiwan immediately imposed health controls and closed the borders with China. It put to good use the lessons it learnt from the SARS crisis. Citizens have been widely informed about how to stop the contagion. Doubts remain about its possible membership in the WHO.

Taipei (AsiaNews) – Taiwan did not wait for the World Health Organisation’s “instructions to shape its response” and dealt promptly with the coronavirus crisis, this according to Russell Hsiao, executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute, who spoke to AsiaNews. This is the secret of the success of the "rebel province" in fighting the epidemic. So far, only 135 cases of infection and two deaths have been reported in the country. This is a paradox considering Taiwan’s attempts to join the WHO have been systematically thwarted by mainland China. Hsiao’s interview follows.

Whilst the COVID-19 is killing thousands of people in China and around the world, Taiwan has been successful at containing the outbreak.

For Russell Hsiao, executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute, the secret of Taiwan’s success is the fact that “Taiwan did not have the luxury of waiting for the international health body’s instructions to shape its response – and this perhaps helped in a paradoxical way to encourage the government’s proactive approach.”    [FULL  STORY]

Worldwide number of infections reaches 246,275; death toll climbs to 10,038

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/20
By: Disease Outbreak News Center, Taiwan News

Update: 2020-03-20 20:00
No.	Country/Area	Cases	Deaths
1	Taiwan	135	2
2	China	81250	3249
3	Hong Kong	257	4
4	Macao	17	0
5	Mongolia	6	0
6	Japan	934	33
7	South Korea	8652	94
8	Philippines	217	17
9	Thailand	272	1
10	Singapore	345	0
11	Vietnam	85	0
12	Cambodia	37	0
13	Malaysia	900	2
14	Indonesia	311	25
15	Brunei	75	0
16	Australia	681	6
17	New Zealand	39	0
18	French Polynesia	6	0
19	New Caledonia	2	0
20	Fiji	1	0
21	Diamond Princess	712	7
22	India	194	4
23	Bangladesh	17	1
24	Nepal	1	0
25	Sri Lanka	60	0
26	Bhutan	1	0
27	Maldives	13	0
28	Kazakhstan	44	3
29	Kyrgyzstan	3	0
30	Uzbekistan	23	0
31	Qatar	460	0
32	United Arab Emirates	140	0
33	Lebanon	157	4
34	Iran	18407	1284
35	Bahrain	278	1
36	Kuwait	148	0
37	Afghanistan	22	0
38	Oman	48	0
39	Iraq	192	13
40	Pakistan	454	2
41	Saudi Arabia	274	0
42	Jordan	69	0
43	Palestine	44	0
44	Turkey	359	4
45	Israel	677	0
46	Egypt	256	7
47	Algeria	90	9
48	Tunisia	39	1
49	Morocco	63	2
50	Nigeria	12	0
51	Senegal	31	0
52	Cabo Verde	1	0
53	Gambia	1	0
54	Cameroon	13	0
55	Central African Republic	1	0
56	Burkina Faso	33	1
57	Ivory Coast	9	0
58	Togo	1	0
59	Benin	2	0
60	Ghana	11	0
61	Gabon	1	0
62	Democratic Republic of the Congo	7	0
63	Congo	3	0
64	Zambia	2	0
65	Kenya	7	0
66	Djibouti	1	0
67	Ethiopia	7	0
68	Somalia	1	0
69	Guinea	1	0
70	Liberia	2	0
71	Sudan	2	1
72	Islamic Republic of Mauritania	2	0
73	Rwanda	11	0
74	Tanzania	6	0
75	Angola	1	0
76	Namibia	3	0
77	Kingdom of Eswatini	1	0
78	South Africa	150	0
79	Réunion	28	0
80	Mauritius	7	0
81	Seychelles	6	0
82	Equatorial Guinea	6	0
83	Mayotte	6	0
84	Russia	199	1
85	Estonia	267	0
86	Latvia	86	0
87	Lithuania	48	0
88	Belarus	51	0
89	Ukraine	26	3
90	Moldova	49	1
91	Poland	355	5
92	Czech Republic	694	0
93	Slovenia	319	1
94	Hungary	73	1
95	Romania	277	0
96	Croatia	110	1
97	Bosnia and Herzegovina	63	0
98	Montenegro	13	0
99	North Macedonia	48	0
100	Bulgaria	107	3
101	Georgia	43	0
102	Azerbaijan	44	1
103	Armenia	122	0
104	Serbia	103	0
105	Slovakia	123	1
106	Albania	64	2
107	Cyprus	67	0
108	Greenland	2	0
109	Iceland	330	1
110	Finland	400	0
111	Sweden	1439	11
112	Norway	1781	7
113	Denmark	1225	6
114	Faroe Islands	80	0
115	United Kingdom	3269	144
116	Ireland	557	3
117	Switzerland	4164	43
118	Liechtenstein	28	0
119	France	10995	372
120	Netherlands	2468	77
121	Germany	16290	44
122	Luxembourg	335	4
123	Belgium	1795	21
124	Austria	2203	6
125	Spain	18077	833
126	Gibraltar	8	0
127	Portugal	785	4
128	Andorra	74	0
129	Italy	41035	3405
130	Malta	53	0
131	Vatican	1	0
132	San Marino	144	14
133	Monaco	10	0
134	Greece	464	6
135	Channel Islands	11	0
136	United States	14250	205
137	Canada	872	12
138	Mexico	164	1
139	Bermuda	2	0
140	Bahamas	3	0
141	Cuba	16	1
142	Cayman Islands	3	1
143	Jamaica	15	1
144	Guyana	7	1
145	Haiti	2	0
146	Dominican Republic	34	2
147	Saint Barthelemy	3	0
148	Martinique	23	1
149	Suriname	1	0
150	Colombia	128	0
151	Honduras	12	0
152	Nicaragua	1	0
153	Costa Rica	87	2
154	Panama	137	1
155	Guatemala	9	1
156	El Salvador	1	0
157	Antigua and Barbuda	1	0
158	Aruba	4	0
159	Curaçao	3	0
160	Guadeloupe	45	0
161	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1	0
162	Saint Lucia	2	0
163	Saint Martin	4	0
164	Barbados	5	0
165	Montserrat	1	0
166	Trinidad and Tobago	9	0
167	French Guiana	15	0
168	Paraguay	13	0
169	Brazil	621	6
170	Ecuador	260	3
171	Chile	342	0
172	Argentina	128	7
173	Bolivia	15	0
174	Uruguay	94	0
175	Peru	234	1
176	Puerto Rico	5	0
177	Venezuela	42	0
178	Guam	12	0
179	U.S. Virgin Islands	2	0
	Total	246275	10038

[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/20/2020
By: Wu Hsin-yun, Chang Ming-hsuan and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Epidemic Control Center (CECC) has made available 400 beds at several quarantine locations for the use of migrant workers who must undergo home quarantine for 14 days, based upon their needs.

From Thursday, foreign nationals have been barred from entry into Taiwan, a drastic measure adopted by the CECC as part of efforts to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Friday, Taiwan had confirmed 135 cases of the coronavirus disease, of which 102 were imported, with two fatalities.

The entry ban does not effect migrant workers who are currently overseas and have re-entry permits. However, they will have to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their return to Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]