Taiwan tackles virus with temperature checks
The 35-year-old secretary at a local trading company is not sick, nor does she have any known contact with SARS patients, but Lee has to have her temperature measured virtually everywhere she goes in Taipei.
"I had my temperature taken when I took my daughter to school this morning, and again when I went to the office," Lee said.
"It's a bit inconvenient but it's all for our own good," she said yesterday, adding she carries her own thermometer to avoid sharing with other people.
Gripped by fears that SARS may spread, Taiwan has ordered strict temperature checks at nearly all government offices, some museums, all banks and all stock trading outlets, in a bid to detect possible carriers of the flu-like virus.
Although Taiwan has only one known victim of SARS and probable and suspected cases stand at a relatively low 151 the state has adopted draconian measures to battle a disease which has killed over 330 people worldwide and infected over 5,500.
"The policy is difficult, if not impossible, to implement," said an airline executive, referring to a mandatory 10-day quarantine for all travellers including air crew returning from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada.
"As far as we know, not a single government in the world has done the same thing," he said, but declined to be identified.
Taiwan has closed its borders to its largest trade partner, China, sealed off two hospitals, quarantined thousands and even offered T$2,500 (US$72) cash rewards for informants who tip off health authorities on new SARS infections.
The private sector has mimicked some of these moves by instigating temperature checks at many schools, office buildings and conferences, as well as making mask-wearing mandatory. The Taiwan government argues toughness is necessary, having watched the virus ravage China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
