These parts of Asia beat coronavirus early. Why they’re suddenly in lockdown
LA TimesWhile much of the world is moving beyond the pandemic, Taiwan, which for so long had kept the virus at bay, is unnerved by scenes countries have long forgotten: listless streets, shuttered shops, a run on toilet paper and untold empty seats on subways. “The world needs to realize no one is safe until everyone is safe,” Rimal said from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, which entered its third lockdown last month. “Lots of them live alone and don’t have children around to help them.” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced last week that Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima would join six prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, already under state of emergency measures until the end of the month. The billionaire founder and chief executive of consumer electronics giant Rakuten said holding the games was a “suicide mission.” While Japan’s outbreak has been gathering momentum for months, Singapore’s has only just begun. But organizers said Monday that the event would be postponed until next year at an undetermined location because of “an uncertain travel outlook, differing speeds of vaccination rollout and the uncertainty around new variants.” Global health experts say vaccine hesitancy can be high in places that experience low numbers of cases and deaths.