Covid-19 Combating Models of Greece and Taiwan Highlighted as Success Stories

The effectiveness of Greece and Taiwan in managing the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak and keeping the infection and death rates low was the focus of a web conference last week, organized by the Taipei diplomatic mission in Greece and aimed at offering useful insight for Asia and Europe.

Academics, doctors and epidemiologists from Greece and Taiwan examined the actions taken by the two countries, including early detection, quick response, and immediate lockdown measures.

According to the findings, Taiwan and Greece are among the top-ranking countries in the world in terms of low Covid-19-related fatalities, while worst hit in Europe were Belgium, Spain and Italy.

Taiwan

One of the main differences, however, according to the “Covid-19 Success Stories: Taiwan & Greece’s Combating Model” conference, was the fact that Taiwan screened using digital technology and quarantined suspected coronavirus carriers before travelers disembarked from planes when the WHO first announced the presence of the virus in Wuhan in December.

Additionally, Taiwan residents – already trained from the previous SARS-CoV-1 epidemic in 2003 – immediately wore masks in public spaces and transport.

Greece

On its part, Greece, among the countries in Europe with the lowest infection and death rates, took immediate action restricting travel and closing down schools and universities even before fatalities were confirmed. Among the key reasons for Greece’s effective management was the population’s strict adherence to health expert guidelines.

Lastly, with regard to the possibility of new lockdown or quarantine measures in Greece, experts participating in the conference said it was highly unlikely. This they attribute to the fact that Greece will be closely monitoring the evolution of Covid-19 cases across the country and will – should there be an incident – proceed with restrictive measures on a local level as soon as dispersal is detected in a specific geographical area.