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Taiwan is an island nation located in East Asia. With an area of up to half of Greece and a population of 23 million, while it is 180 km from China alone, it was a model for dealing with COVID-19, while now showing the way back from the pandemic.
On the streets of the capital, Taipei, people seem to be more interested in how to protect themselves from the hot midday sun than in maintaining the necessary distances between them.
Long lines form along the sidewalks when people gather at popular restaurants for lunch. And in nearby parks, groups of young people practice their dance skills.
According CNN article, there are few things in the island country that give the feeling that we are still in 2020 and that the planet is still ravaged by the pandemic.
With more than 30 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide, Taipei residents seem relieved to learn that only one case of local transmission has been reported in the city since mid-April.
In total, there have been around 500 confirmed cases and only 7 deaths since the start of the pandemic in Taiwan. 
The secret of success
According to the same publication, one of the main reasons for Taiwan’s success in curbing the virus is speed. Authorities responded quickly when rumors surfaced online of an unknown virus in the city of Wuhan and there were unconfirmed reports of isolated patients.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told CNN that the deadly outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 had taught them a lot. “So Taiwan was hit hard and we started building our capacity to deal with a pandemic like this.”
“So when we heard that there were some mysterious cases of pneumonia in China, where patients were treated individually, we knew it was something like that,” he added.
Even before Beijing publicly acknowledged the severity of the virus, Wu said Taiwanese health officials had begun scrutinizing passengers arriving from Wuhan and that early travel restrictions had gone into effect.
While much of the world awaited more information, Taiwan activated the Epidemic Management Center (CECC), which coordinates various ministries in case of an emergency, and the army was called in to boost the production of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) .
These first quick steps, and the willingness to act, were crucial to preventing the spread of the virus in Taiwan. 
“Life here is so surreal”
Taiwan’s timely response means that daily life on the island is now very different from that in many parts of the world where leaders have not acted as quickly.
Psychologist Sil Chen moved to New York from her homeland 16 years ago. She believes she contracted the virus in mid-March from a client who coughed during a session. At the time, it was difficult to get tested in the United States, so she stayed in her apartment for five weeks to avoid spreading the virus. An antibody test two months later confirmed her infection.
He reportedly returned to Taipei in mid-July to visit his grandmother, who has lung cancer. After a 14-day quarantine, she took out her 99-year-old grandmother. “We had dinner at a restaurant,” he said.
“Doing group yoga with people and thinking ‘wow, this is so surreal, it wouldn’t be possible to take my grandmother to a public place with these conditions anywhere else in the world,'” he said. 
From the science of confinement to the science of return
According to CNN, Dr. Wang and his colleagues at Stanford have written about the success of the Taiwanese model for slowing down the virus, but they would like the island to go one step further.
“Taiwan was really cool at the science of closure, but what is the science of reopening that could be a good model for the world?” Wang wondered.
According to him, a shorter quarantine period should be established for arrivals, which will be possible through successive negative tests.
It should be noted that Taiwan introduced a shorter quarantine period for business visitors in June from countries that it considers low or medium risk. This requires guests to take a test before boarding to prove they are HIV negative within 72 hours of the flight and then a test on the fifth day of quarantine, after which they are allowed out of quarantine. isolation and self-control for the next two weeks.
“We already do it for business travelers and those who have special visas, so why not apply to all?” says Wang. According to him, the Taiwanese government is currently considering an international travel study with Stanford to test shorter quarantine periods with more frequent testing.
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