Coronavirus Slowdown in Seattle Suggests Restrictions Are Working

Although the United States, Spain, and Italy are still working to contain the coronavirus outbreak, countries across Asia have seen some success. By implementing rapid intervention and widespread testing, places such as South Korea and Taiwain have seen a decrease in cases and have begun steps to lift some of the restrictions that were in place.

As much of Europe and the United States are still in the early stages of trying to contain the coronavirus, countries in Asia offer several lessons in mitigation strategies. Rapid government intervention and regulation helped to slow the spread in Taiwan while in South Korea, increased transparency and mass testing – made possible because the country opened the process to the private sector – have shown to have helped flatten the curve of transmission.

Singapore has seemingly been able to contain the coronavirus outbreak by relying on quick actions taken by the government and lessons learned from both the SARS and H1N1 outbreaks that impacted the region years ago. With "ready-made government quarantine facilities and a 330-bed, state-of-the-art national center for managing infectious diseases," the region has yet to see a death from this novel coronavirus despite 96 people identified as infected.

Enacting social distancing and mass closures of schools, businesses, and other industries during the times of virus outbreaks has been shown to slow the waves of infection, as first witnessed during the era of the Spanish Flu when one American city acted proactively while another did not. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, areas that began social distancing practices sooner are already reporting a flattened curve of cases, which helps hospitals avoid overcrowding.

Singapore among several other countries have been able to contain coronavirus by working to stay ahead of the spread, rather than confront the spread as it happens. Using strategies – some partially built after learning from failure during the SARS outbreak – such as rigorous contact tracing to determine who may have come into contact with an infected individual, these countries have shown, "early intervention is key."

Countries such as Ireland are looking to South Korea for lessons about best practices in containing the coronavirus outbreak. Much of South Korea's success, shaped by lessons learned from battling the MERS outbreak in 2003, comes from implementing the national infectious diseases control act that "allows for the government to track people, and for the tracking information to be posted online."

When faced with the coronavirus pandemic, a number of countries around the world "opted for delayed containment strategies," but countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, which took the opposite approach, have seen more success with mitigating the spread. The governments in these countries implemented many aggressive initiatives that were aimed at widespread testing, restricted travel, and contact tracing.

South Korea has reported a reduction of new coronavirus cases thanks in part to rapid government regulations, widespread testing, and increased transparency. While other countries, such as the United States, have made a practice of only testing those showing symptoms, South Korea's success is linked to broader testing, contact tracing and alerting those who have possibly been in contact with an infected person.

As countries respond in different ways to the COVID19 pandemic, those with systematic government approaches have proven to be strongest thus far. Places like Hong Kong and Singapore created immediate systems for testing and quarantining, putting quick pressure on stopping the spread of the novel coronavirus. On the opposite end, places like Iran and the United States have fared worse because of a lack of immediate response and capacity for testing.

Situated less than 90 miles from China, the coronavirus outbreak could have been critical in Taiwan, but the country's proactive measures helped to stave off the worst of the disease. Having learned from SARS epidemic, Taiwan had prepared for future situations by creating a comprehensive command center and implementing a transparent communication strategy both of which have helped slow the spread of Covid-19.