Premier Su Tseng-chang says the government is using a “new Taiwan model” to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Su’s words on Friday appear to signal the start of a new phase in Taiwan’s response to the virus.
Speaking at the legislature on Friday, the premier said Taiwan has learned a lot after two years of keeping COVID-19 at bay. Despite an outbreak in the summer of 2021, Taiwan has never reported more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 in one day.
Now, Su says, Taiwan is moving gradually towards reopening its borders and lowering restrictions. The premier says Taiwan will not drop all its COVID-19 prevention rules at once like some other countries have and risk a large outbreak.
Su stressed the need for compromise, saying that if Taiwan wants to return to normal life, that will inevitably come with certain risks and consequences. But he says Taiwan’s healthcare system is well-equipped to handle a spike in cases, and Taiwan’s vaccination rate is at a more satisfactory level than before.
Su says the government has no plans to impose a soft lockdown like last summer. But, he says, the government’s strategy is not set in stone, and authorities will respond to new developments as they happen.