As a political economist, I start every day with three things: drinking a cup of black coffee, reading the news and checking some statistics. A little over a year ago, I mostly read the news about how the world leaders were managing their national affairs, as well as how they are (not) getting along on this planet we call home.
After reading the news on different national and international events, I check some figures that are critical for my studies. I mostly focus on the daily fluctuation of oil prices, my country’s exchange rate and global prices of precious metals.
However, in February last year, my routine drastically changed. Since then, the whole world has been battling a common enemy: COVID-19.
Ever since the pandemic became global, although I still drink coffee, read the news and check some statistics, the context of the news I read as well as the statistics I follow has changed. Instead of reading about the civil war in Yemen or focusing on the latest developments in negotiations between Iran and world leaders on Iran’s nuclear activities, I read news about how each state is handling the pandemic.
Furthermore, instead of checking the price of oil, the value of precious metals or Iran’s exchange rate, I check the number of those who are infected by the virus, the number of those who overcame their infection and the number of those who have sadly died.
Technically speaking, I am an alien resident. In other words, I live in one country (Taiwan), while I am from another country (Iran). Therefore, I always check the numbers for Taiwan as well as Iran. I wish to know the severity of the situation back home as well as where I am living for the time being.
Checking the statistics for the two states gives a sense of comparison. Frankly, though, the way Iran handles the pandemic and the approach Taiwan takes could not be more different.
The numbers for the two countries are also quite different: While Taiwan has had a total of about 15,500 COVID-19 cases, the number of new cases in Iran for July 8 alone was 23,391.
Why is there such a big difference?
Since the pandemic began, Taiwan’s government commenced several measures to ensure that the virus is contained.
For instance, to enter any building, one must first take a temperature test and fill out a health survey form.
Many businesses were forced to close. Many others changed so much that a bank, for instance, started to look like a biohazard containment lab.
With such precautions, everything was quite safe until the middle of May. The virus finally found a way to get into Taiwan. In two weeks, zero local infections per day went up to more than 600.
However, Taiwan has learned its lesson, and with some simple preventive measures, such as closing down public gathering places, monitoring temperatures on a daily basis and shifting many activities online, it was able to bring down the number of new cases to about 30 per day in less than a month.
One big spillover of such policies was the heavy burden it put on many citizens’ economic well-being. Taiwan is a country where almost everybody works outside. Many food vendors, coffee shop owners and chefs lost their jobs because of these policies.
However, the government did not overlook such outcomes. Instead, with the participation of the local governments, it provided several relief funds and assistance vouchers. Even universities chipped in. Not just citizens, but international residents were also considered in these funds.
The government followed several policies to ensure that the outbreak did not get out of hand. It also spent massive amounts of money to make sure the inhabitants of Taiwan (not just its citizens) do not lose their livelihoods because of the lockdowns.
However, what makes Taiwan a remarkable case of crisis management was, is and will be the cooperation of the people in this endeavor. Everyone must wear a mask, even in the streets, check their temperatures several times a day and scan a tracing QR code to enter any building.
The masks alone are such a burden given the summer heat. Yet every person is wearing one, checking their temperatures and scanning the QR codes — and they are all doing it willingly.
In other words, Taiwan has succeeded in managing the pandemic, not only because of its government’s policies, but because of its people’s cooperation.
A government is obligated to ensure the safety and well-being of its people, but if the number of COVID-19 cases skyrockets in a country, it is the result of a non-cooperative people.
Sahand E.P. Faez is a doctoral student at National Chung Hsing University’s Graduate Institute of International Politics.
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