Taiwan’s status for having successfully contained the virus was challenged in April … Rules had been relaxed prior to the outbreak, allowing pilots to quarantine for three days instead of the full 14.
At first, infections were reported from pilots, hotel workers and their family members. … Taiwanese were staying at the same hotel as the quarantining pilots. From there, the virus is believed to have made its way into Taipei’s Wanhua district, known for its “tea houses” … Many who tested positive were unwilling to declare they had visited such adult entertainment venues, making contact tracing more difficult.
Singapore
Even as Singapore was being celebrated, cases were quietly spreading through the island’s one vulnerable location: Changi International Airport. It’s believed that airport workers who came into contact with travellers from high-risk nations may have contracted the virus before visiting Changi’s food court, which is open to the public.
Many of the cases linked to the airport cluster were later found to have a highly contagious Indian variant, known as B.1.617. … “It’s not like everything was relaxed in Singapore. It’s not like behaviour has changed in the last six months. But I do think we’ve got a less-forgiving virus, which is more easily transmitted,”
Only 29 per cent of Singaporeans have received one dose. … They’re now considering lengthening the time between doses and vaccinating younger adults.
How a similar scenario would play out in Australia
What the recent outbreaks in Singapore and Taiwan show is that successful containment strategies can be thwarted by complacency and a failure to identify and act quickly to contain quarantine breaches.
Downgrading my competence estimation: Taiwan and Singapore’s current coronavirus surge should serve as a warning to Australia (ABC Australia). Excerpts: