Taiwan's Ability to Reduce the Transmission of COVID-19: A Success Story

ABSTRACT

Taiwan is known for its effective responses to COVID-19, with only 799 confirmed cases by the end of 2020. Based on the previous research, this article identifies three major technical approaches used in Taiwan to prevent the community spread of COVID-19 (1) Digital fence and entry quarantine system to track close contacts and force 14 days of in-home quarantine;(2) Evolving face mask distribution policy and system to ensure fair allocation of the limited face mask resources;and (3) Open-source software co-developed by the government and tech community to share real-time COVID-19 related information and conduct location history based contact tracing. The combat against COVID-19 in Taiwan is a success in digital governance, with great synergy between the government and every citizen.