Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/05/2020
By: Chiang Chin-yeh, Chou Shih-hui and Chiang Yi-ching\

Washington, March 4 (CNA) Scholars at Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) praised Taiwan's response to the COVID-19 outbreak Tuesday, adding that the U.S. could learn from Taiwan's response measures.

In an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on March 3, co-authors Jason Wang (王智弘), Robert Brook and Chun Y. Ng said that "Taiwan is an example of how a society can respond quickly to a crisis and protect the interests of its citizens."

Taiwanese officials began screening passengers on direct flights from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease, for symptoms before they could deplane as early as Dec. 31, the article said, with screening expanded the following week to include anyone who had recent history of travel to the city.

On Jan. 20, Taiwan activated the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) to coordinate efforts to contain the outbreak, which has since implemented at least 124 measures to prevent the spread of the disease, the article said.    [FULL  STORY]