American schools are now closed for winter recess. I am spending the year-end holiday in Taiwan to visit family and friends. While I was working on this article, I was on the 10th day of self-isolation in a quarantine hotel. I have witnessed Taiwan’s efforts to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic. I am 100% certain that the island’s success in pandemic control is a demonstration of its national strength. The government’s policies, the public’s cooperation and persistence deserve applause.

Travelers have to present a negative Covid-19 test result conducted within three days prior to boarding a flight to Taiwan. The certificate will be inspected twice before departure and rechecked one more time upon entry. The regulation was first considered unconstitutional as it restricts the freedom of movement. But the challenge and questioning are then resolved by asking the travelers to sign a declaration/affidavit. Passengers who fail to submit a test document will be seated under supervision in a designated zone throughout the flight. The arrangement is aimed to protect others with a test report.

Upon arrival, airline ground staff will check if each of the passengers has an accessible phone number to receive a text message from the Health Ministry. Phone holders have to show the message to ensure they are being tracked. The staff will also confirm the address of their quarantine hotel. After claiming luggage, arrivals are guided to the place for a special taxi service. Disinfection is required before they and their luggage get into a cab. The quarantine cabs are in adequate supply and fares are charged according to set standard rates. If the fares exceed the maximum of NT$1,000, a subsidy is available.

After checking into a quarantine hotel, a traveler will get a kit containing snacks and a thermometer; get a call from the local government to track your health.  Quarantined individuals have to stay in his/her room for 14 days, where they can take off the facial mask and use their phone to order meals and daily supplies (have them delivered to your doorstep). Local officials will have cleaners take care of quarantined individuals’ trash to prevent the virus from spreading.

The public deems these measures as necessary and appropriate, ensuring every arrival will be isolated until they are virus-free. However, anyone who has been a leader or an event organizer can see how difficult and complicated it is to plan and enforce the procedure.

First, the authorities have to work out the procedure way ahead when the virus is still unknown. Second, for the procedure to work out well, it requires effective intergovernmental communication and cooperation. It also requires concerted efforts from public and private sectors (e.g., telecom operators and cabs). Third, how to effectively implement the procedure is a challenge too. Many other countries are slow in response, not because they don’t have good policies on hand, but because they don’t have enough front-line workers to monitor and enforce the implementation. In Taiwan, we have medical staff, airline ground crew, police officers, and community (neighborhood) head (里長) to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Fourth, the measures where no single failure can be tolerated have been in place for almost a year. Health Ministry has been holding daily press briefing throughout the year. It even has a way to single out every confirmed case and find out his/her contact history. Fifth, the procedure maintains some flexibility and respect for human dignity. It does not require quarantined people (guests) to wear an electronic monitoring device, nor is a seal placed on the room door. But for the measure to work out, cooperation and conformity are needed from the public. Despite some irregularities, including fake “Made in Taiwan” masks and an arrogant boss going out during the quarantine period, the majority are actively following the strict rule. Overseas Taiwanese have organized Facebook groups, helping overseas people return home and reminding them of the quarantine rules.

The prevention measures have put additional costs on everyone. But compared to the failure to contain the outbreak, the spending is completely cost-effective. The successful containment is largely dependent on nation-wide cooperation, consensus, and efforts. Now Taiwan has seen the lowest economic impact of Covid-19 in the world, one of the few with positive GDP growth. Many I know, including scholars, journalists, Silicon Valley engineers, have taken their family back to Taiwan, where baseball games, cinemas, theaters, schools, parks, and museums remain open. Hospital beds are enough. If you are not happy about policies, it’s OK to yell at the government.

By contrast, in Las Vegas, where I work, the official jobless rate is as high as 34%. The well-known Cirque du Soleil has filed for bankruptcy. The boxes and bags for takeout meals have to be sanitized before you eat. Hospital beds in Los Angeles have dropped to 0%. Children hospitals are forced to take adult patients.

New Year is coming while the end of the pandemic is not in sight. Vaccines are being approved and administered, but a comprehensive vaccination for everyone is still far away. Vaccine efficacy remains unknown. Whether vaccines can keep up with virus mutation remains uncertain. With so much uncertainty ahead, the country’s fate is not determined by drawing fortune sticks. Instead, it is up to the choice of each individual.

(Austin Horng-En Wang, Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas)

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