I made a much needed trip to the grocery store today and was delighted to see our local Trader Joe’s enforcing social distancing in Chapel Hill. They’ve limited the number of people allowed in the store at one time and required six feet between people standing in line waiting to enter.
I was also delighted to see more people than usual using face masks, even though the number is still far too small.
Taiwan has had great success limiting the virus, and an important part of the strategy there has been use of face masks. I have my own cloth mask with insertable filters, a gracious gift from friends in Taiwan, delivered via my daughter-in-law. Of course Taiwan did much more than simply encourage the use of face masks. The government reacted decisively and early to the threat, screening arrivals and mandating quarantine.
Yesterday Wilfred Chan, a writer and editor based in New York, published a piece in The Nation saying the World Health Organization (WHO) has ignored Taiwan’s success, and that the rest of us are now paying the price. He argues that the WHO’s actions have been politically motivated.
Taiwan was more prepared for the coronavirus than any other country, but the WHO puts politics first.
Wildred Chan, THE NATION
Worse than the WHO, of course, is the arrogance with which our own government has not only ignored the success of Taiwan but also dismissed the advice of our own leading health professionals in the time leading up to the current crisis. Misinformation for political gain is now costing many lives.
Here’s Bruce Aylward of the WHO responding (?) to a question about Taiwan’s efforts battling COVID-19:
I highly recommend the article from The Nation. Read it and see what you think.