Taiwan imposes strict social restrictions to curb the worst Covid outbreak

Taiwan, which has been one of the most successful in the world in containing Covid-19, has introduced two weeks of strict social distancing measures as it reported more than 200 new cases in its first significant community outbreak of the virus.

The move was a shock to the country, which has recorded some of the lowest per capita cases, with only 1,682 cases and 12 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Her successful containment of the virus has allowed its residents an almost normal life amid the widespread disruption of the coronavirus elsewhere.

But Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was forced to turn to social media to urge people to stop panicking as locals bought staples like instant noodles and toilet paper in the news about restrictions.

An outbreak this month rose to 206 new local transmission cases on Sunday, the health ministry said, adding that 186 were in the capital and outskirts of Taipei.

On Saturday, when Taiwan reported 180 new local cases, the government banned indoor social gatherings of more than five people and outdoor meetings of more than ten in and around Taipei. The mask suit will be mandatory everywhere and all shops and restaurants that remain open must register customer contact information.

Leisure and entertainment venues were forced to close across the country under the restrictions, which are scheduled for May 28.

Authorities announced on Sunday that they would intensify testing and that hospitals will have to suspend all surgeries and treatments except the most urgent and critical ones until the risk of infection is reduced.

Taiwan’s strong behavior in preventing local outbreaks had fostered public confidence and satisfaction with the Tsai administration and its public health team.

This sentiment has now been shaken, mainly due to Taiwan’s slow vaccination rate, a deficiency partly attributable to health authorities ’caution with vaccines as long as there was no local spread, and partly to the government to close a vaccine deal with Pfizer opposition from China.

Taiwan’s high-tech Taiex index fell 8.4% last week and suffered its index worst intraday fall Wednesday since 1969, as investors anticipated the slowdown in business to curb the aggravation of the outbreak. According to Bloomberg, Taiex futures rose 1% on Sunday.

Only 186,149 of the population of more than 23 million had their first mouthful on Saturday. Health authorities only have about 130,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines left; Doses of 5.05 million shots of Moderna are expected to arrive in June. Locally developed vaccines are also expected to be available from July.

On Saturday, Taiwan announced the temporary suspension of its voluntary and paid vaccination program against Covid-19, as it urged those in priority groups to be inoculated as soon as possible.

Tsai said Taiwan had a year of preparation at its disposal, with sufficient supplies of protective and medical equipment as well as consumer goods. “Don’t panic, make sure you stay calm,” he said on Facebook as he reminded residents that the stores would continue to operate as usual.

Government officials posted pictures of well-stocked warehouses with personal protective equipment and other essentials on social media in order to calm residents ’nerves. Carrefour said it would rationize the sale of masks, toilet paper, alcohol and instant noodles to prevent hoarding.

Taiwan’s ability to avoid blockades and other restrictions during the pandemic has saved the country from the worst economic pain experienced elsewhere.

Her the gross domestic product grew about 3% last year, before rising 8.2% in the first quarter of 2021, a pace not seen in decades. The strong economic performance has been driven by the expansion of electronics exports and net entry of Taiwanese residents last year seeking refuge from the pandemic in other countries, most notably the US.

This week, the cabinet proposed a package of financial support of 210 billion US dollars (7 billion US dollars) to amortize any short-term blow to consumption derived from the outbreak.

“As long as we can control things quickly and effectively block the spread of the pandemic. . . a new wave of consumption will be stimulated after the situation calms down and this year’s economic growth can still be expected, “the government said in a statement following a meeting of top economic officials on Sunday in morning.