Coronavirus: How Taiwan avoided crisis in spite of China links

As the world struggles to contain outbreak, Taiwan’s success story shines a light on how countries might survive the global epidemic, writes William Yang in Taipei

Taiwanese people wearing masks as a precautionary measure walk in a Taipei street (EPA)

At about 4pm every day, long lines form outside most drug stores across Taiwan’s capital as everyone waits to collect their daily ration of face marks. But where in other parts of the world there have been scenes of panic buying and stockpiling, in Taipei there is a sense of calm among the crowds.

As Europe struggles to deal with the rapid spread of coronavirus, Taiwan can offer some valuable lessons, having been well prepared for the current epidemic.

About 850,000 Taiwanese citizens live and work in China and yet despite the potential for mass contagion from the mainland, the state has only seen one death and 47 contaminations.