Self Isolation is All I Can Do to Help

Once we figured out how to order vegetables, fruit, and other supplies using online delivery services, life under self-imposed “isolation” has become far less anxious. Indeed, I have long been partial to staying at home and avoiding public spaces, though I confess that I miss the bookstore. Just yesterday I was wishing I could go out to see if any new titles have come in.

It actually feels good to avoid going out (shopping, or even strolling the neighborhood) because I can tell myself I’m contributing to the nation’s struggle against the ongoing pandemic. Even though I am just one person, I’ve removed myself from any possible chains of transmission. Meanwhile, the days continue to fly by.

The government this week extended the “Level 3” pandemic containment measures to July 12, meaning we must wear a mask when outdoors, restaurants cannot offer indoor seating, movie theaters and other recreational places are closed, and there are limits on the number of people who can enter supermarkets or events.

The most frightening news this week is that the “Delta Variant” which caused so much suffering in India is trying to make its way into Taiwan. The strain was found in a Taiwanese citizen who was returning to Taiwan after living in India for four months, the period through which this highly transmissible version of the Wuhan Coronavirus began ravaging India.

The traveler had to take a test in Macau, and it was there he was diagnosed. In response the government may now require testing for all arriving passengers, whereas prior to this incident only those who displayed symptoms before and during their two-week quarantine were required to be tested.

Apparently the airport sees a daily average of about 1,000 citizens coming home. The real worry we all face is the “domestic spread,” which in mid-May began to spread from a red light (ahem, “tea house”) district of Taipei City has seen over 13,000 “local” infections and almost 600 deaths. Those are not massive numbers in comparison to global figures, but Taiwan doesn't have an enormous population, so every loss is a sadness felt by all.

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