Compliant and Free

As you probably know, Taiwan does not have a COVID-19 problem.

Taiwan has gone over 200 consecutive days without open COVID on the streets.

Courtesy of Flickr.com - Othree

But you know what?  You just can’t compare apples to…. well…. to noodles!  There is no comparison. None at all. You can't compare the situation in the US to Taiwan. For one thing, Taiwan is basically 1/3^rd the size of the state of Colorado. It is also surrounded by water. You have to fly or swim to get there.                            

Hualien coastline

Virtually the only way to enter the country is through the airports. You must have permission. You probably need a visa. To get a visa requires the country allowing you to come for a good reason. If you are from America and a few other countries, to get a visa also requires a “within-three-days-of-travel negative COVID test.”

Getting disinfected at airport

Once you arrive at the airport, even if you come with a negative COVID test, you are sprayed down with disinfectant, and whisked away to mandatory isolated quarantine for 14 days.

You do not leave your quarantine apartment. At all. Food is brought to you. The government checks on you daily. In many cases, you are required to undergo several additional COVID tests – just in case.  All this at your own expense. Anyone testing positive in these additional tests is immediately taken to a hospital for isolated observation and care.

If you continue to be COVID-free, only then are you allowed to enter the streets of Taiwan. Once on the streets, most people choose to wear masks full time but it is not required. Only on public transportation are you required to wear a mask. 

And at Church on Sundays -

 full two hours with everyone allowed at the same time.

The streets are safe.

Like I said, Taiwan is virtually COVID-free. No COVID on the streets. Completely safe. 

So, you know what Taiwan is going to do?

They are tightening the restrictions.

Yes, that’s right. Tightening the restrictions!

Starting December 1^st, masks will be required at the following places: medical facilities, mass transit, places of consumption, schools, exhibitions and athletic centers, entertainment venues, houses of worship, and business venues. That’s pretty much everywhere there are people.

Taiwan public announcement announcing new restrictions

Starting December 1^st, all travelers to Taiwan will be required to provide a “within-three-days-travel-to-Taiwan” negative COVID test.

A small child with a mask 
pulled down 

No one will complain. No one will riot. No one will protest. The fines for disobedience are steep (up to $526). In some cases, the punishment is prison. The people are just happily compliant, grateful for their near-normal life style.

I asked our local senior sister missionary if anyone has ever disobeyed the mask mandate on public transportation.  

She said, “Of course!”

Surprised, I asked, “How many people?”

She replied, “Just one. He’s in jail now.”

Extra-Ordinary Persons of Taiwan

Your mind is a map. It records everything you do and everywhere you go. You just have to learn how to read the map.

This is Ruby's story.

Arriving at English Conversation Group

I was six months old when I had my first heart surgery. I couldn’t breathe. My parents took me to the hospital where the doctors diagnosed me with a type of valvular heart disease. One of my valves didn’t close completely at birth.

I had another heart surgery when I was 14, and then another just this year. I’ll need more in the future. For now I'm doing well.

My parents divorced when I was seven. After that I didn’t see them much or live with them – I lived at school in the dorm. It was a regular school, not one for the blind or the disabled. In our high school you have to choose a major and a minor. I chose music. My mom had been my piano teacher, so music was already familiar to me. I majored in viola and minored in piano. I practiced 8 hours a day.

When I graduated from high school I entered Tamkang University or TKU. It’s a private university here in Taipei. This time my major was Japanese and my minor was German. Government scholarships kept me in school. When I graduated, I became a teacher for a junior high school.

I am also blind.

It can take over 100,000 times to learn a new skill when you are blind.

Simple things for everyone else can be very difficult. It’s a challenge when I can’t find the water dispenser. Getting the water into my water bottle is difficult. Every day tasks are complicated. 

I worked for 7-½ years as a teacher. Then my dad got liver cancer. In Taiwan, when someone gets sick, it is the responsibility of a family member, usually the oldest child, to take care of them. I am an only child. So I quit my job and went to live with my father in the hospital.

Someone stole my dad’s ID, and used the ID to fraudulently buy a car. I sued him. It took 8 years of my life. I had to go back and forth from the lawsuit activities to the hospital. After four years in the hospital, my dad passed away. That was three years ago.

This year I lost the lawsuit. 

Sometimes I still miss my dad. I don’t see my mom much.

Now I am a masseuse. I went to school for 2 years to learn the trade, and have been doing it for over 7 years. 

Sister Coffey's first professional massage.

I live in my dad’s apartment. I memorize the way to get from my home to work. I also take the subway and then walk to the Church where I attend the weekly English conversation group. I am learning about the teaching of Jesus Christ from the missionaries. 

President Peterson and I in a recent visit.

When I finish at the Church I walk to the subway to get back home. The street signals don't have beeps to alert me when it is my turn to cross the street. I have to listen to the cars to know when it is safe to do so.

Taiwan does not have a lot of mobility services for the blind. I do the best I can. But I do have a cell phone that reads my messages to me.  That’s an easy way for me to communicate with others. It also tells me what it sees in photos that I take.

The camera tells me what the image is in the screen.

A photo of Elder Coffey

I want to help change the laws or policies in Taiwan to provide more resources for the disabled. My philosophy in life is nengliang ( 能量) – or energy. A blind person can do almost anything. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me or think I can’t do things. I’m just an ordinary person, almost like everyone else. Blind people have many capabilities. You just need to give them a chance.

Ruby continues to advocate for the disabled. Her life is exemplary in showing that disabilities need not stop a person from pursuing their goals and dreams. In spite of all the challenges she has faced, she retains her self-reliant lifestyle with a cheerful attitude, optimism and grace.