Taiwan reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus case since April, ending a nearly 250-day stretch of no local transmission. 

Taiwan is among one of the few countries that grappled with the pandemic in its early stages, where it implemented strict track and trace programs, as well as widespread testing, mask-wearing and social-distancing measures, and screened any passengers traveling from Wuhan, where the virus originated, right when rumors of the deadly disease swirled reports. Any new cases within the last eight months were from travelers entering the island. 

But its success hit a brick wall on Tuesday when a woman in her thirties had close contact with a foreign pilot, who tested positive for the infection between Dec. 8 and Dec. 12 amid operating flights to the United States. The pilot had flown and visited Taipei without reporting his symptoms or movements to authorities, which could likely violate the Communicable Disease Control Act by withholding accurate information and would be fined up to $300,000 Taiwan dollars, according to the department of public health in Taoyuan. 

Taiwan’s government sent out a file of locations that the pilot went to near Taipei, encouraging residents and locals to quarantine and monitor their health. The government is testing about 167 people who reportedly came in close contact with the infected person. 

Now, upon arrival to Taiwan, passengers must quarantine and anyone who reports a confirmed case of the coronavirus will be separated and treated. The island has a total coronavirus case count of 776—most of them being imported—and seven deaths related to the disease as of Wednesday, with six new infections in the last day alone—but several of them were imported cases, according to Taiwan Centers for Disease Control.  

The newly reported infection highlights the difficulties in combating the virus, even in a country that has been largely coronavirus-free for multiple months, despite all of its imported cases. Government officials from Taiwan sounded the alarm as its imported case count rose in recent days, but still at a manageable level compared to other countries. 

Taiwan’s pandemic response allowed the island to return to slivers of normalcy, though surrounding countries have seen serious surges in cases and deaths that have prevented them from reopening. Other countries in Asia like Hong Kong, the Korean Peninsula and Japan have all experienced an increase in infections in recent weeks, along with Thailand—a region that started a massive testing regimen after a spate of confirmed cases was found at a market close to Bangkok. Nearly four hundred people have contracted the disease due to the market outbreak. 

Although a new variant of the coronavirus has emerged from Britain, Taiwan government officials said it would not halt travel from the United Kingdom, but instead, the country would limit the number of flights and force passengers arriving from Britain to quarantine for two weeks in isolated areas.

Rachel Bucchino is a reporter at the National Interest. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and The Hill. 

Image: Reuters