For two months, we talked about Taiwan’s success in fighting coronavirus. Today, its 24 million people have only 373 cases and 5 deaths. There are few new cases. Their curve is almost flat. Taiwan proves that we don’t have to make a choice between saving lives and having a booming economy. We can do both!
The New York/North Jersey Metro area has roughly 14 million people– less than two thirds the people of Taiwan. Yet it has roughly 160,000 cases, nearly half of all cases in the United States. And it has roughly 3,500 deaths. Even worse, the disease is still out of control. Its curve is still rising sharply.
In Taiwan, schools and businesses are open, people are working, and factories are producing. Taiwan has no bailouts and no new debt or taxes to pay for one. Meanwhile, New York, like most of America, has been in an unsustainable lockdown for more than three weeks. Congress just approved a $2 trillion bailout without telling anyone how we will pay for it. Already, politicians are talking about doing another one!
Every day, public health “experts” like Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx — and most Democrats– tell us we have no choice but to shut down our economy for another four weeks and possibly longer. They say reopening schools and businesses will cause more sickness and death. All of them use the failed methods used by Italy as their model. None of them even mentioned the success of Taiwan. Why?
How does Taiwan control coronavirus?
- Taiwan closely controls its borders. It examines and quarantines everyone who comes into the country. It does not allow anyone to enter the country illegally.
- Taiwan does rigorous mass testing, even for people not showing symptoms. This is important because people infected with coronavirus spread the disease even when they don’t have symptoms. Taiwan also requires families to take everyone’s temperatures at least twice each day. Abnormal temperatures must be reported immediately for further testing. Anyone who fails to take these temperatures or report fevers is can be fined $10,000. Someone who tests negative at first, but later gets a fever is retested.
- Anyone who tests positive for #coronavirus is quarantined and neighbors, friends, and co-workers are notified. Those who are quarantined must stay in their homes until tested and released by authorities. Cell phone apps are used to enforce quarantines. Anyone who breaks quarantine is fined.
- Anyone who tests positive for corona virus must give detail histories of his or her whereabouts and who they contacted while contagious. Those contacts are then also questioned and quarantined. Again, heavy fines for anyone who lies.
- #Masks4all. #MasksforAll. Because mere speaking is enough to spread the coronavirus, everyone must wear a mask when out in public.
Taiwan’s measures to eliminate COVID-19 coronavirus measures may seem un-American today. However, they only apply to a small fraction of people. Also, they were routinely used in this country to stop the spread of measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria and polio right until vaccines eliminated these diseases in the 1950’s. Also, this was done very effectively by state and local health officials long before the federal government got involved.
Because of these measures, Taiwan is one of only six countries in the world where schools and businesses are open. It is also recognized as “safe to travel” for coronavirus.
What don’t we do that? Why don’t we even talk about doing that? Why hasn’t Dr. Fauci, Dr. Birx, or President Trump even mentioned Taiwan?
Sources:
Twitter: #coronavirus #Taiwan #Taiwancanhelp #ChineseCommunistParty #CCP #CCPVirus
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/16/taiwan-china-fear-coronavirus-success/
https://www.wired.com/story/taiwan-is-beating-the-coronavirus-can-the-us-do-the-same/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/04/asia/taiwan-coronavirus-response-who-intl-hnk/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/taiwan-sets-world-fight-coronavirus/story?id=69552462
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-taiwan-case-study-rapid-response-containment-2020-3
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/what-taiwan-can-teach-world-fighting-coronavirus-n1153826
Great question; I have been baffled by the lack of focus on Taiwan’s superb response from the start. Only radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt has featured anyone from Taiwan to talk about their success. They have certain advantages over the US (being under constant threat of invasion or destruction from the Communist Chinese on the mainland will focus the mind), but were clearly more agile than the initial, sclerotic and bureaucratic responses by the CDC and FDA.