Implementation Overview of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions for COVID-19 in Taiwan

DOI: 10.6524/TEB.202409_40(18).0001

Chien-Yu Lin^*, Yu-Jing Lin, Jia-Jing Mao, Fu-Tien Lin, Chu-Tzu Chen, Hui-Rong Liu, Chin-Hui Yang
 

2024 Vol.40 NO.18

Correspondence Author： Chien-Yu Lin^*

Abstract：

        At the end of 2019, an outbreak of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China. With frequent international exchanges and cross-border movement of infected individuals, this led to a global pandemic. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and on March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. With no drugs or vaccines available to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections in the early phase of the pandemic, countries around the world adopted non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to buy time while awaiting vaccine and drug development. However, as SARS-CoV-2 continued to mutate and the pandemic worsened, control measures needed to be adjusted based on the transmissibility, disease presentation, and disease severity of various viral variants. 
        In the early phase of the pandemic, Taiwan managed to avoid large-scale outbreaks. During this period, the government actively promoted personal hygiene practices, advocated for a new lifestyle centered on epidemic prevention, and formulated various guidelines to strengthen public understanding of disease prevention measures.
        By 2021, with the increasing number of imported cases, Taiwan experienced an outbreak. To prevent the spread of the disease in the community, Taiwan implemented stringent control measures and adjusted them based on the evolving epidemic situation. Because of the concerted efforts of the public and the government, the epidemic was brought under control. In the later phase of the pandemic, as the virus variants displayed significantly different characteristics compared to earlier strains, most infected individuals had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic. To gradually return to normal life, Taiwan relaxed various control measures, moving towards a new model of economic epidemic prevention. The lessons learned from this pandemic are expected to serve as a reference for rapid response to future emerging infectious diseases.