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With learnings from SARS, Taiwan wrote the most successful Covid-19 story

  While cities from New York to London to Melbourne went into shutdown, the entirety of Taiwan stayed open for business I was at Hong Kong international airport the morning the U.S. reported its first case of the virus out of Wuhan, China. News had already been circulating about this deadly new illness in Taiwan, my point of departure, and I spent that layover rushing around looking for the provisions needed to minimize the risk on my flight to New York. Masks were out of stock but I eventually found a small bottle of sanitizer with a cartoon Shiba Inu dog on the label, an irony I’d later appreciate. At the airline lounge, staff were dismissive of my suggestion that hand sanitizer be made available at the counter to all passengers. I knew that would change. By the time I landed at JFK airport, Chinese authorities had shut down Wuhan in an admission that this virus was serious and spreading. Yet that move was far too late. Three days earlier Taiwan had already set up its Central Epi...

Taiwan marks 200 days without locally transmitted Covid-19 infection

  Taiwan holds the world’s best virus record by far and reached the new landmark on Thursday, even as the pathogen explodes anew in Europe and the US While many countries around the world are hitting new highs in coronavirus cases, Taiwan has achieved a different kind of record — 200 days without a locally transmitted case. Taiwan holds the world’s best virus record by far and reached the new landmark on Thursday, even as the pathogen explodes anew in Europe and the US. Taiwan’s last local case came on April 12; there has been no second wave. What did this island of 23 million people do right? It has had 553 confirmed cases, with only seven deaths. Experts say closing borders early and tightly regulating travel have gone a long way toward fighting the virus. Other factors include rigorous contact tracing, technology-enforced quarantine and widespread mask wearing. Further,  Taiwan ’s deadly experience with SARS has scared people into compliance. “Taiwan is the only major count...

‘Get Lost’: Taiwan strongly reacts to China’s note to Indian media

  China’s hackles were raised by advertisements placed in leading Indian newspapers by Taiwan’s govt to mark the democratic, Chinese-claimed island’s national day on Saturday China was accused by Taiwan of trying to impose censorship in India after its embassy in New Delhi advised journalists to observe the “one-China” principle after newspapers carried advertisements for Taiwan’s national day. Coming just months after deadly clashes between Indian and Chinese troops on the disputed Himalayan border between the two Asian giants, the controversy has flared at a time when Indian sentiments toward China are filled with antipathy and suspicion. China’s hackles were raised on Wednesday by advertisements placed in leading Indian newspapers by Taiwan’s government to mark the democratic, Chinese-claimed island’s national day on Saturday. The advertisement carried a photograph of President Tsai Ing-wen and hailed India, a fellow democracy, as a natural partner of  Taiwan . China, which...