It’s part of a multi-pronged approach. It needs to be accompanied by hand-washing, mask-wearing, etc.
But there is no “social distancing”, mate. People packed like sardines into buses and the MRT, students crammed into classrooms, punters cheek-to-cheek in night markets, etc.
It ain’t happening.
This is typical of how Taiwan has been “social distancing” during the pandemic:
I’ve been to some bars/clubs too. Masks are very very few…
People mainly wear masks on the streets, plus in public transport and shopping.
That won’t do much. Most superspreading in Europe that could be traced was bars and workplaces… Go figure that the reason for no covid-19 outbreak must be something else - but for sure not the social distancing… (yes it will help a bit - but not much)
2 nights ago - 300 people packed. Waiter wore no masks, took a video for friends back home showing them the good life here. Could not see a single mask in the vid but over 100 faces… Live music…
Bar in Taipei - punk concert. Masks went off pretty soon. Stagediving, and so on. Yes but maybe old people isolate a bit better here. I don’t think that Vitamin D is the reason for all of it. But the main reason. Second reason closed borders/quarantine. Third reason the current regulations. Together enough to get R into the 0.8-1.2 range or so…
Does anybody here have a face mask tan line?
No tan-line, but once I did get home and discover a bit of sauce smeared at the side of my mouth. Hadn’t seen it in the hours since lunch because it has been covered by a mask every time I saw a mirror. Presumably that means no one else saw it either.
Most superspreading in Europe that could be traced was bars and workplaces… Go figure that the reason for no covid-19 outbreak must be something else - but for sure not the social distancing… (yes it will help a bit - but not much)
It just needs to help enough.
Once, all factors considered, the R rate is under 1, it will disappear ESPECIALLY if numbers are already very low…
Actually Taiwan extended school holidays and also cancelled face to face uni classes, all large events. They have been enforcing and encouraging social distancing at key times and places.
Recently Taoyuan was a good example of that and mask use has shot up massively there and required to wear in all stores and public buildings and public transport .
Sun is bad, gives you cancer, makes you blind! So they say…
Makes your skin go ‘black’!
If I may present my theory: it is the quality of the masks. Ours here are surgical grade, made of plastic, built to keep a droplet charged with virus at bay.
The common citizens abroad are still wearing cloth masks, not even silk ones…
What is today’s report?
Two more reported imported cases today—one from the Philippines and one from Malaysia:
Taiwan records two new imported cases of COVID-19 - Focus Taiwan
Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Taiwan reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, one from the Philippines and one from Malaysia, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
Guy
If I may present my theory: it is the quality of the masks. Ours here are surgical grade, made of plastic, built to keep a droplet charged with virus at bay.
The common citizens abroad are still wearing cloth masks, not even silk ones…
And maybe surgical grade masks plus humidity (Taiwan has both). Perhaps in the Old Countries the masks are drying out a lot quicker.
Researchers propose that humidity from masks may lessen severity of COVID-19
NIH study compares how different face masks affect humidity inside the mask.
Well, in the old country they say masks give you pneumonia…and quote doctors such as Fauci himself, imagine that.
They are also wearing cloth masks, general public that is. Doctors wore plastic bags for a while but it seems now they have an N95 per day rather than per week.
No local, 1 imported:
為印尼籍20多歲男性漁工,今(2021)年2月4日來臺工作,持有搭機前3日內檢驗陰性報告,入境後至集中檢疫所檢疫,並無症狀。
指揮中心表示,個案於2月17日接受檢疫期滿前採檢,因檢出COVID-19陽性於今日確診。由於個案無症狀,且檢疫期間未與他人接觸,因此無匡列接觸者。
Indonesian fisherman in his 20s who came to work in Taiwan on 2/4. He provided a negative test and went into quarantine. He was tested on 2/17 before his quarantine was over and the result came back positive. Since he was asymptomatic and in quarantine no contacts are listed.
Todays update
快訊》今境內境外都加零!陳時中親揭案939感染真相 (msn.com)
Zeros both inside and outside Taiwan (ROC) today! Chen Shizhong reveals the truth about 939 infection
The zeros are good news; the arrival in Taiwan of the Brazil variant is however more troubling:
巴西變種病毒現蹤台灣 24日起具旅遊史者集中檢疫 | 生活 | 重點新聞 | 中央社 CNA
因應巴西疫情嚴峻且台灣有3例個案驗出巴西變種病毒,疫情指揮中心今天宣布,24日0時起14天內曾有巴西旅遊史的旅客(含在當地轉機),入境後一律入住集中檢疫所。
Guy
The zeros are good news; the arrival in Taiwan of the Brazil variant is however more troubling:
巴西變種病毒現蹤台灣 24日起具旅遊史者集中檢疫 | 生活 | 重點新聞 | 中央社 CNA
Guy
Compulsory government quarantine from now on for arrivals from Brazil.
Taiwanese man fined NT$300,000 for leaving quarantine twice, caught with drugs...
Police caught Tainan resident evading quarantine, carrying amphetamines | 2021-02-22 12:59:00
He was carrying a packet of amphetamines, a category 2 narcotic … urine test result revealed recent amphetamine use
Expensive hit
Addiction is no joke.
Guy
We don’t know addiction is involved here though.