FDD
Date: April 3, 2020
By: Mathew Ha   

Taiwan announced on Tuesday that it will provide 10 million masks to countries hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis, including Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This responsible approach contrasts sharply with the hostility and duplicity of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which has prioritized the delegitimization of Taiwan over combating the pandemic.

Taiwan has adopted a an extensive plan incorporating 124 steps to fight the virus, including quarantines, increased surveillance, social distancing, and travel bans. Although Taiwan’s first reported infection was on January 21, the Taiwanese government had begun testing for the virus as early as December 31, 2019.

In addition, after hearing about the initial Wuhan outbreaks, Taiwanese health authorities boarded planes arriving from Wuhan to immediately check passengers for symptoms. Taiwan also implemented strict screening measures for all international arrivals and actively traced the interactions of those infected.

Through these measures, Taiwan has kept its infection rates exceptionally low compared to the rest of the world: Taiwan’s population has suffered 329 infections and five deaths.   [FULL  STORY]