How three Chinese neighbors control coronavirus without drastic measures

130,000 people as of Friday, 13, in at least 110 countries spread across all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. More than 4,900 people died as a result of the pandemic. While China has opted for drastic quarantines, with effective results, and the United States has enacted a national emergency , the governments of Taiwan , Singapore and Hong Kong have demonstrated that without draconian methods, there is a way to respond well to the spread of the epidemic. 

They are all close to China , where the outbreak originated in late 2019 and spread quickly and ferociously from January. There, the epidemic infected 80,991 people and killed 3,180. But the Taiwanese, Singapore and Hong Kong governments' reaction to the new coronavirus was as immediate as it was distinct. The three regions preferred not to impose harsh quarantines on portions of their territories, as was the option in Beijing. In common, they all have a high population density, which would facilitate the transmission of the virus. They also used the technology and took immediate steps to prevent proliferation. 

An island less than 150 kilometers from mainland China, less than half the distance between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Taiwan recorded only 49 cases and one death. For comparison, although there is no death caused by Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Brazil already has 98 patients, according to the Ministry of Health this Friday.

As of Tuesday 10, Taiwan had the lowest incidence rate of the new coronavirus per capita, with about 1 patient for every 500,000 people, according to the American broadcaster NBC News.

Before any other country in the world, Taiwan had already banned flights from the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China, in late January. The restriction later expanded to the entire Chinese territory with the exception of four Chinese cities, including Beijing. The country also anticipated the confirmation by the World Health Organization (WHO), on January 20, that the virus is transmissible between people. Travelers from Wuhan were already undergoing medical screening by the Taiwanese authorities during the flight itself.

In view of the huge influx of Chinese tourists for the Lunar New Year, celebrated this year on January 25, the Taiwanese government suspended classes in schools until the end of February and determined the systematic disinfection of public areas. To contain local transmission, the authorities also imposed strict quarantine rules on those still in effect.

The punishment for breaking the quarantine is $ 33,200, according to the American newspaper The New York Times, and the inspection has been carried out by tracking the patient's phone.

The government has also taken tight control over the marketing of surgical masks. The export of these products, which are sold at a price set by the government at 16 cents a unit, is prohibited.

Singapore

The government of Singapore, a country with 187 confirmed cases and no deaths, has already imposed two weeks' quarantines on 2,887 people who have come into contact with infected patients. In fact, the response strategy of this city-state, which is home to more than 5 million people in an area equivalent to half the city of São Paulo, is recognized as correct due to the few cases, compared to those in China. The high temperatures - from 26 to 28 degrees Celsius this season - may have contributed, since the coronavirus does not theoretically survive the heat. 

According to a Harvard University study, case detection in Singapore is three times more efficient than the global average. Local authorities tested more than 1,300 people, including all reported cases of pneumonia and flu-like symptoms. The Ministry of Health sought additional information on the whereabouts of patients confirmed with the new coronavirus even through check-in records and hotel security cameras.

Similar to Taiwan, in February, the country introduced mobile software to monitor the location of people subjected to quarantine. The test to assess whether a person is infected with the new coronavirus is free in Singapore, and his government still bears the medical expenses of any resident who is considered a suspected or confirmed case.

Unlike Taiwan and Singa Pure, Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region in China, shares a border with Chinese territory. But it took its own measures to contain the epidemic, which mainly translated into blocking its passage to the continent. The country that still faces the turbulent pro-democracy demonstrations when the outbreak broke out, registers only 131 sick people until this Friday. Its immediate neighbor, Guangdong province, has more than 1,300 cases.

On January 29, days after confirmation of the first imported coronavirus case in Hong Kong, local authorities closed part of its border with China. Currently 11 of the 14 land entry points remain closed, according to The New York Times .

Chinese entry to the special region fell by 57%, from more than 170,900 to almost 70,000 in just one day, according to Hong Kong's head of government, Carrie Lam. All train, bus and ferry services to Mainland China. Hong Kong has further determined that any traveler crossing the land border or who has recently been to mainland China is required to be quarantined for 14 days.

To try to contain the local transmission of the virus, health officials announce the address of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus daily. The government is able to track which people came into contact with the infected two days before he showed symptoms.