No one asked but I wanted to share my experience traveling to Taiwan this past week to highlight what Taiwan is doing right regarding COVID-19 and why it’s quite unsurprising that Taiwan has become the gold standard for containing the coronavirus with only 7 deaths thus far.
1/ Prior to my flight, I reported my travel history, health symptoms, and the address of where I planned to self quarantine. This determined my infectious risk level and thus the ease of immigration clearance upon arrival to Taiwan.
2/ Upon arrival at Taiwan’s airport, I purchased a prepaid SIM card and provided the number to the CDC. They will use this number to track me during quarantine and call me daily to check on my health.
3/ To leave the airport, I took a cab. They kept track of which passengers took which taxi and to where. (Contact tracing) My hourlong cab ride was capped at only 1000NTD (~$33USD). The affordability encourages people to take cabs and not public transit.
4/ The driver was also not allowed to pick up passengers after dropping me off. His car would be sanitized for 20 minutes before returning to the airport to pick up additional passengers.
5/ If you are staying in a hotel, the taxi driver will call your hotel prior to arrival to get you checked-in. Upon arrival, you will be able to go directly to your room to minimize interactions with others.
6/ You are allowed to quarantine at home as long as your house has one bathroom per person. You can receive ~$33USD/day during the 14 day quarantine period from the government. That's $462 total.
7/ Taiwan is evidently meticulous and considerate. With the cooperation of the citizens in this interdependent culture, Taiwan's future is not nearly as concerning as America's.
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