Since the first outbreak of coronavirus, Taiwan has been seen as an unlikely source of stability. Over 400,000 Taiwanese live and work on the Chinese mainland and, due to diplomatic tensions with Beijing, Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organisation. Despite this, as infections began to rise in Japan and then exploded in South Korea, Taiwan’s daily increase of cases never surpassed five.
The Taiwanese government’s robust response to illness, which has paralysed so many other parts of the world, garnered much international praise. But a fresh spike in cases has put Taiwan on the back foot.
On Sunday, six new infections were confirmed, the highest number in a single day to date. On Monday, this was surpassed with eight new cases; and again on Tuesday, with ten new infections. On Wednesday, there were 23 new cases, taking the number of new infections to beyond 100, doubling the total within a week.
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