Taiwan has decided to live with the virus according to Washington Post on April 30, 2022. This is perhaps to be expected after Taiwanese living in Shanghai complained of difficulty securing food supplies during the outbreak. Moreover, the island nation is understandably keen to avoid the economic cost and human toll reported there.
Taiwan Was Slow to Decide to Live With the Virus
Washington Post remarks how Taiwan, like Mainland China was “slow to give up on trying to stamp out the virus”. So instead, it has persisted with traditional measures including mask mandates, contact tracing, and strict border controls until recently.
Earlier this month Taiwan’s government laid it down the line. It clearly stated it will “gradually shift toward a strategy of mitigation, despite facing its largest outbreak to date”. On Friday, April 29 its Central Epidemic Command Center reported record-breaking cases for the 12th consecutive day.
Taiwan Enters a New Phase With the Coronavirus
Taiwan has decided to live with the virus despite the surge to record cases continuing for the 12th day. The island nation now has to deal with over 100,000 accumulated current cases. Although this time it decided not to repeat its May 2021 lockdown.
Washington Post says local opinions are “evenly split on abandoning a zero-covid approach featuring lockdowns and quarantines”. However, Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen seemed in no doubt Tuesday April 26, 2022. She said the nation had entered a new phase, where the goal was to “clear serious cases, manage mild cases, and lead a normal life.
“While continuing,” she explained “to improve access to testing, and vaccination rates among the elderly”. However, the debate is apparently nowhere over yet, as many citizens continue to express concerns about the surge in cases.
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