參考單字
- against all odds (ph.) 克服困難
- formidable (adj.) 難對付的
- looming (adj.) 不明的
- impose (v) 強制實行
- contend (v) 應對困境或不愉快的事
- misinformation (n) 錯誤的資訊
- rampant (adj.) 猖獗的
- crematorium (n) 火葬場
- disinformation (n) 假資訊，假情報
- corralled (adj.) 集中控制(人或動物等)
Against all odds, Taiwan Keeps Coronavirus under control
The challenges that COVID-19 poses for governments around the world are formidable. Taiwan’s response to the novel coronavirus has been remarkably effective so far. Taiwan has reported a relatively low number of cases of the virus despite the close links between Taiwan and China. Millions of people travel back and forth between Taiwan and China each year, which means more than 5,700 flights per month on average.
Now Taiwan is holding lessons for the rest of the world to follow. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Taiwan’s authorities have taken 124 actions since last December when the looming threat was emerging and the rest of the world was looking the other way. Taiwan quickly activated a response command center, sent a fact-finding team to China, imposed swift travel bans and quarantines, and even restricted the export of face masks.
Taiwan has also had to contend with political pressure and possible misinformation from China. On the global stage, the Chinese government has tried to squeeze Taiwan. Taiwan only has a handful of diplomatic allies, and it’s not a member of the United Nations or the World Health Organization. It means that certain types of information that WHO members get as a matter of course are not available to Taiwan — even though Taiwan does have a lot to contribute to the whole world when it comes to combatting this disease.
As the virus went rampant in China in late January, a stream of rumors about Taiwan’s response to the outbreak began to appear on social media sites. One claimed that the outbreak was out of control in Taiwan and that trucks were hauling dead bodies to crematoriums. Some of the posts used simplified Chinese characters or terminology that’s common in China but not in Taiwan.
The net effect of Taiwan’s non-membership in the WHO and the spread of virus-related disinformation targeting Taiwan is hard to measure. However, the risk of a widespread deadly virus is undoubtedly rising for Taiwan.
Against all odds, Taiwan has kept a deadly disease corralled.
超凡遠距 