Upon detection of a case of nCoV, the Singaporean medical team was given only two hours to investigate how the patient was infected and who might have been transmitted.

Have they recently gone abroad? Are they related to one of the 5 outbreak clusters in the city? Did they cough when they came in contact with anyone? Who are their friends, family, partners?

Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan were the places where Covid-19 was attacked early because of their close economic and social ties with mainland China. They effectively curbed the fluid with strong rapid reactions.

Singapore has spent years building a public health system that includes clinics specializing in infectious diseases and a messaging system that calls the public to wash their hands or use a tissue to cover their nose and nose when sneezing during the flu season. The infectious disease law gives the government the authority to prioritize common interests over privacy concerns.

"Since there has been no crisis, we have been planning these outbreaks," said Lalitha Kurupatham, an official in charge of disease prevention in Singapore.

As the head of a patient follow-up program, she worked 16 hours a day for two months. When the new outbreak broke out, Singapore was quickly affected by many mainland Chinese coming here during the Chinese New Year holiday. Dozens of cases were identified in Singapore in January, thanks to their large-scale testing. If not, they may miss cases where only mild symptoms, Singapore has "sprint" to prevent community spread.

"Until the outbreaks in Italy, South Korea and Iran appeared, Singapore was the country most heavily affected by Covid-19 outside of mainland China," Linfa Wang, from the University's affiliated medical school Duke in the US and National University of Singapore, said. "But at the time we didn't feel that way. Because the government was so transparent and the high number of cases meant we were able to effectively identify people who have been in contact with infected people and quarantined everyone. case".

Singapore recorded more than 260 cases, more than 110 people recovered and no one died. When rumors of a mysterious respiratory virus in China surfaced earlier this year, Singapore quickly took action. They are one of the first countries to ban all people from mainland China, starting at the end of January, and measuring the temperature of all immigrants.

A country of 5.7 million, Singapore rapidly develops its ability to test more than 2,000 people a day. In Washington state, one of the hardest hit areas in the US, public laboratories are trying to test 400 samples a day.

Indigenous people are tested and treated for free. Singapore has 140 tools to track the contact history of patients, police and security agencies. After a few weeks of investigation, health officials identified two outbreaks in the two churches involved in a party of 33 people attending the Chinese New Year. These people do not have severe symptoms.

Close contacts of patients are required to isolate. Those who do not comply with the regulations may face criminal charges. Nearly 5,000 have been isolated.

All pneumonia and seriously ill patients in Singapore were tested for nCoV. Positive cases were identified at the airport, government clinics and mainly through exposure history tracking.

Singapore learned from SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003, when it recorded 238 cases, 33 died. Like Hong Kong, the deaths are mostly medical personnel.

"We want to be one step ahead of the virus," said Vernon Lee, director of the department of infectious diseases at the Singapore Ministry of Health. "If you chase a virus, you'll always fall behind."

Hong Kong was heavily affected by SARS with nearly 300 deaths. SARS "ghosts" has made residents here to raise awareness from the beginning. Nearly everyone pays attention to washing their hands. Business centers and offices measure the body temperature of people in and out.

"The most important thing is that Hong Kong people have obsessive memories of SARS," said Kwok Ka-ki, a lawmaker in Hong Kong. "Every citizen is conscious, including wearing masks, washing their hands and take necessary precautions, such as avoiding crowded places. "

The special zone government tightens border control with mainland China. Public officials are required to work from home, prompting companies to take similar measures. The school closes in January until as early as the end of April. Hong Kong records more than 160 people with nCoV, 4 deaths and more than 80 people recovered.

Taiwan is acting even faster. Like Hong Kong and Singapore, Taiwan has direct flights with Wuhan. The island's medical command center, established after SARS, requested screening of passengers from Wuhan in late December, even before Beijing acknowledged that nCoV was spread from person to person.

At the end of January, Taiwan suspended flights from mainland China, although WHO then advised against doing so. Officials integrate health insurance databases with immigration and customs information to track people who may carry germs, according to Jason Wang, director of the University's Center for Policy, Results, and Prevention. Stanford.

When nCoV infections on Diamond Princess were discovered after the ship stopped in Taiwan, island residents received a message listing each restaurant and place they were on.

Taiwan recorded more than 70 cases of nCoV, 20 recovered and one died, but some were concerned that Taiwan had not conducted a large-scale test. Students returned to school at the end of February.

The key to the epidemic prevention of Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong is early intervention, understanding the history of exposure, isolation of infected people and suspected and social isolation. All are coordinated quickly and transparently.

However, many people doubt whether European countries can learn from this model, as Europeans can oppose the exploitation of security camera data or entry records with concerns about infringing upon rights. personal freedom. Meanwhile, in places like Singapore, which once banned chewing gum, people are willing to accept government requests.

"Perhaps because of our Asian context, the community is more willing to take measures," Kurupatham said. "We will continue to fight, because the isolation measure is effective."

However, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong are facing a new challenge as nCoV infections soar in Europe and the Middle East, people coming from these areas could spark a new outbreak.

In response to the second phase, Hong Kong will require all foreigners from 14 days to be isolated from this weekend. Taiwan requires people from 20 countries and three US states to quarantine.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned last week that the number of cases in the country could rise sharply. Singapore recorded 23 new infections on March 17, the highest increase in a single day, with 17 "foreign" cases. They set rules requiring people from Southeast Asia and parts of Europe to quarantine themselves 14 days.

"This virus is very unpredictable," said Paul Anantharajah Tambyah, president of the Asia-Pacific Association of Microbiology and Infections. "There is no safe place until everyone in the world is safe."