The coronavirus, also known as the COVID-19, is going viral all over the world, crushing governments and making people panic.

Taiwan, however, has done great containing the coronavirus with its public health services. Even though it sits near three of the world’s most severe outbreaks – China, Japan, and Korea – Taiwan has only 169 cases and two deaths (as of March 23), out of a population of around 23 million.

“With the advent of Wuhan pneumonia, most people originally figured Taiwan was going to be miserable this time because ties with China are so close, and that it couldn’t be avoided,” said You Ying-lung, chairman of the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation polling agency.

However, that has not been the case. It turns out that Taiwan hasn’t been so miserable and compared to other countries, it has the best performance.

Here are five reasons Taiwan is outcompeting other countries in keeping the coronavirus corralled:

1. Early preparation

In December, 2019, Taiwan’s health officials and government first took notice of the virus taking shape in Wuhan in December as people in China began talking about it.

The moment they found out that the outbreak was emerging they cut off flights immediately, not only from Wuhan, but also in and out of China, way before a lot of peers in Asia did. Later on, they started to quarantine direct flights. Also, Taiwan was one of the first countries to ban exports of masks, as people were afraid that there were not enough masks.

Taiwan moved fast because of its experience 17 years ago with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. SARS originated in China and jumped to other parts of Asia. It killed 73 people in Taiwan and stunted the economy.

2. Health insurance

Taiwan’s health insurance has proven that widespread healthcare can prevent an outbreak. The government leveraged its public health infrastructure and affordable healthcare to keep the population safe and healthy compared with nearby countries.

Taiwan’s health insurance lets everyone feel secure about going to the hospital since the affordable coverage guarantees that people don’t need to choose between their personal and financial health. If anyone suspects that they may have been infected by the coronavirus, they can get a free test and if patients test positive for the virus and be forced into quarantine for 14 days, the government pays for food, lodging, and medical care.

Therefore, no one needs to avoid seeing a doctor because they can’t pay for healthcare.

3. Big data

Technology is a key ally when fighting an outbreak. Taiwan’s government has leveraged the National Health Insurance database to create a smart system to warn citizens and keep an extra eye on the situation.

The mask map keeps the public well-informed regarding the number of available face masks in pharmacies.

A Taiwanese software engineer built an online real-time map that can show where masks are stocked in convenience stores and drugstores across the island, so that people won’t waste a whole lot of time lining up, but end up getting nothing.

Also, those who are quarantined at home were tracked through their mobile phones to ensure that they stayed home during the incubation period.

4. Being alert and proactive

As soon as the government realized an epidemic was forming, they immediately ordered inspections of passengers arriving from Wuhan and later on stopped flights from China.

Despite poor relations with Beijing, Taiwan sent a team of experts to China on January 12, and sensed that the situation was not great by seeing what the Chinese government didn’t want them to see.

The government soon required hospitals to test for and report cases. This helped the government to identify those infected, trace their contacts and isolate everyone involved, preventing the virus from spreading to the community.

In addition, they resumed classes just two weeks later than scheduled after a break in February.

People were alert and made hand sanitizer accessible in almost every public building, sanitized elevators and other common space regularly, and fever checks are required in schools.

5. Regular, transparent updates

Transparency is extra important when people are worried about how many cases are actually near them. The government hopes to release information that keeps people on guard without inciting any panic. Only when information is transparent and no fake news is spreading will let people feel confident in the information they receive.

Taiwan, unlike China, demonstrated that the best way to contain the coronavirus is not to censor news about the epidemic, but to make it easier and more convenient for people to access relevant information.

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), organized in January, holds press conferences at least once a day to announce the latest policy, information, and also to clarify rumors that are circulating on social media.

Armed with transparent and sufficient information on the coronavirus, Taiwanese people actively follow the government’s policies and take actions to curb the spread of the virus individually by washing hands and wearing masks.

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Even though the community spread of virus in Taiwan is looming and seems inevitable, the Taiwanese government and people have shown that they are determined to work and fight against the outbreak.

It takes an entire country to keep people safe, and Taiwan’s extensive coordination and swift action have helped stem the tide of coronavirus cases in the country.