- organized by Bureau of Foreign Trade
- Implemented by Taiwan External Trade Development Council, TAITRA
27/Apr/2020
Taiwan’s extensive deployment of digital governance in areas including immigration, customs and national health insurance became the critical tools for the nation’s efforts to fend of the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Drawing on the SARS experience, Taiwan responded swiftly to ration the nation’s limited supply of face masks. Upon first learning about the foreign coronavirus outbreak, the government took actions to control national inventories and production, as well as developing an app named “Face Mask Map” with real-time information on mask store locations and availability. The app not only served to distribute existing stocks of masks, it also became a confidence boost that calmed the public. Face Mask Map had since undergone several iterations and updates. As a vital digital tool, the app helped prevent panic buying while the government continued to ramp up national production capabilities. Taiwan is now the world’s second largest face mask maker and has been donating masks and other vital medical supplies to countries around the world.
Digital governance was also instrumental in Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen border control, which began on December 31, 2019, to screen inbound travelers from high risk areas. Taiwan officials integrated the national health insurance (NHI) database with its immigration and customs database early on, which enabled the government to track travel histories and symptoms. Moreover, medical facilities including hospitals and pharmacies had access to the information for their patients and customers and had the power to respond accordingly to help prevent transmissions and institutional infections.
Furthermore, the government initiated the “Digital Fence” system for locating and monitoring individuals under the 14-day compulsory quarantine. With minimal privacy intrusion, the technology tracks the smartphone locations of those under quarantine. If the phones are detected too far away from the quarantine area, an alarms would be triggered with calls and messages made to re-confirm the individual’s whereabouts.
Digital governance played a significant role in Taiwan’s efforts to curb COVID-19. In addition to NHI and border control, the country’s e-government also covers other areas including household registration, civil services, revenue services and education. As an ICT leader at this time of crisis, Taiwan welcomes opportunities to share and exchange and its digital governance best practices with the global community.
***TAITRA, your reliable partner for doing business or collaborating with Taiwan, has a global network of 63 branch offices dedicated to helping you connect with quality Taiwan partners, suppliers, products, and services. Contact an office near you: https://lnkd.in/eRfrjzb
***MEDICAL TAIWAN, a medical, health & care expo that features top quality medical devices and equipment, is scheduled for October 15-17 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 (TaiNEX 2).
See more at: https://www.medicaltaiwan.com.tw/
*** TAITRONICS & AIoT Taiwan, a complete set of electronics and tech tradeshows to showcase the latest layers of AI and IoT (perception, transmission, and applications) for businesses by featuring a complete ecosystem that includes key components, system integration, security and smart solutions. These ICT exhibitions will be held concurrently from October 21-23 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 (TaiNEX 1).
See more at: https://www.aiottaiwan.com / https://www.taitronics.tw
***As of today, April 27, the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in more than 3,004,956 confirmed cases worldwide. As of writing, with 0 addition, a total of 429 confirmed cases were reported in Taiwan, with 343 imported cases, 6 deceased cases, 290 cases released from isolation, and the remainder hospitalized in stable condition. See the latest update: https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En