During the summer of 2021, everyone in Taiwan had to be quarantined due to an outbreak of COVID-19. Taiwan enacted strict COVID-19 restrictions. Lockdown started as we could not leave our houses without wearing masks. If we were caught without masks, we would be fined. There were automatic alcohol dispensers that sprayed people’s hands and measured people’s temperatures in every public area.

It was mandatory to have those machines at malls, schools, hospitals, restaurants, etc. When someone had a fever, the machine could detect it because their temperature would be higher than the average body temperature. If the machine showed a red light, that meant the person had a fever. If it showed a green light, that meant you didn’t have a fever.

Despite the government’s efforts to protect people, most Taiwanese citizens also did their best to try to maintain low COVID cases. We worked together by staying home most of the time, only going out because of emergencies or to get groceries. Some people flew to different countries to get the COVID-19 vaccine, since we didn’t have enough vaccines for most people at the time.

During that time, if you were flying to Taiwan, you had to be quarantined at a quarantine hotel for 14 days and seven days at home. You couldn’t leave the hotel room for even a second. If you tried to sneak out, you would be fined a large amount of money. Once the 14 days of quarantine at the quarantine hotel were over, you had to self-quarantine in your house. So, in total, you had to quarantine for 21 days or three weeks straight.

After a few months, schools started to open up again. More COVID-19 vaccines were bought by the government and other public individuals. Fewer people got sick and Taiwan started to feel like a country again.