Soaring Contest and Coronavirus

Taiwan is so far doing very well.

Being next door to the world's top novel virus incubator, speaking the same language and having long experience of having to apply close scrutiny to official pronouncements from across the strait, Taiwan maintains preparedness that other countries would do well to emulate.

Taiwan maintains a stock of PPE and manufacturing capability at a time when other countries such as Canada have to wrangle orders and charter PPE flights from China.

Each citizen has a ration of three masks per week @ ~17¢ each which they can pick up at local stores.

Contact tracing is assiduous and those quarantined are supported with visits, grocery deliveries and even a salary.

The rest of the folks put on a mask and go to school or work.

Hopefully when PPE is widely available, the rest of us can get our noses back on the grindstone.

Just to repeat, the chief role of masks is preventing spread from asymptomatic carriers.

Closer to home, two Alberta meat processing plants have exploded with 300 and 100 cases in the last few days. The spouse of one of the infected workers unfortunately works in a care home.