Taiwan is finally getting a taste of the mess much of the rest of the world has been enduring for the past more than a year. When the international press would say that life was more or less normal in Taiwan, they weren't exaggerating. We got off good until now. I mean, to put it in perspective, our numbers are still way lower than some U.S. states are still reporting, but for them the improvement is such that it's probably just such a relief it's getting better and not getting worse. Taiwan is facing disaster (or just joining the party late and forgot to bring a six-pack of vaccine). 

The international press has pointed to complacency as part of the reason for the current outbreak. It took several days for that to sink in, but I don't think that's an inaccurate assessment. In fact I would go one step further and suggest the government may have seriously fucked up and wasn't lucky this time in dodging the bullet. 

We actually had a direct warning a few months ago when there was a cluster outbreak centered around airline employees. All contacts in that case were traced and it was successfully contained. An EVA pilot was fired and the airline heavily fined, but a huge loophole was exposed and I don't know if the government did enough to close it. They should have required all airline personnel to undergo pretty much the standard quarantine procedures if they planned to enter the general populace. 

I haven't been following the news as diligently as before (perhaps a reflection of personal complacency mirroring government complacency), but I think this outbreak started at the airport hotel and infected airline employees were responsible for the flashpoint of the outbreak in Taipei's Wanhua district, famous for "tea houses" (not exactly red light, but not the most reputable adult "entertainment"). I think another government failing is that when it was clear Wanhua was a major hotspot, they didn't lock it down or restrict travel in and out and still haven't, even though it's probably too late now despite most of Taipei's daily cases coming from there. 

I don't know. Before I thought I was pretty in-tune with what was going on, but I haven't heard any discord regarding the government's failure in these regards. I could be flat-out wrong, or as the people get angrier as conditions get worse the government may face a reckoning that will impact politics. 

I also don't know how flat-footed Taiwan was caught regarding obtaining vaccine, pants around our ankles with China already ready to say "bend over" (wouldn't trust their vaccine anyway and I'm pretty sure that's not a needle they want to prick us with). If government complacency mirrors my personal complacency, a few months ago my brother asked about Taiwan's state of vaccine and my reply was somewhat nonchalant, that we didn't have any but the government was taking steps to eventually procure some in case we need it. Hindsight 20-20, Taiwan should've aggressively tried to procure some of the sauce and either have it ready (don't know what its shelf-life is) or start voluntary vaccinations at the very least to test how Taiwanese felt about it. Or at least jab those horny bastards in the airline industry.