‘Taiwanese play active role in curbing virus’

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians living in Taiwan take their hats off to the conscientiousness of its citizens.

Taipei-based restaurateur Joe Chua said there were fewer people on the streets as the Taiwanese practised “self-imposed lockdown”.

“They know how to protect themselves and are extremely disciplined. The majority choose to stay home after the spike in cases.

“The streets are almost empty and quiet, ” said Chua, 39, who is originally from Melaka.

He said as a result, business at his restaurant located in Xinzhuang district has fallen by half.

Not only were the citizens responsible, but business owners were also taking the outbreak seriously, he said.

“Based on my observation, seven out of 10 shops in the commercial area are closed.

“Owners voluntarily cease business for a minimum of two weeks to reduce the risk of infection.

“For shops that are open, customers who do not adhere to the standard operating procedure were prohibited from entering the premises, ” he said.

Chua also noted that people living in Taiwan were not shy to tell off those who were not playing their part to curb the virus spread.

“If you are seen taking photos outdoors, you will be scolded. By staying home, we are protecting ourselves, our loved ones and also the public, ” he said.

“We do not want to be a burden to the healthcare system.”

Taichung-based tourism student Saw Di Wen (pic), started attending classes virtually a week ago.

“The management of the university has started looking into cancelling in-person classes when there was a two-digit increase in Covid-19 cases.“I stopped going to the gym and chose to order take away food, ” he said, adding that the restaurant where he works part-time was also closed.

The 23-year-old said he was astonished by the high level of conscientiousness of Taiwanese in fighting the pandemic.

“Everyone is very cooperative and actively playing their part, ” he said, adding that it could be due to their past experiences with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.

Saw, who is from Perak, expressed his concern over the rising cases back home.

“I noticed some of my friends in Malaysia are still going out and this is worrying.

“I hope Malaysians can be more disciplined and play their part to flatten the curve, ” he said.