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When I hear "isolation," I think patient isolation, not travel restrictions. From very early on, the WHO recommended patient isolation as a precaution against
by DiogenesKynikos 6y ago
When I hear "isolation," I think patient isolation, not travel restrictions.
From very early on, the WHO recommended patient isolation as a precaution against possible human-to-human transmission.
The WHO is required by the international treaty that governs it to advise against travel restrictions, unless there is strong evidence that they will be effective. Since the research prior to this pandemic has tended to show that travel restrictions are ineffective for highly contagious respiratory viruses, the WHO advises against travel restrictions. Most people don't understand this, which makes the WHO an easy target for criticism. If countries want the WHO to recommend travel restrictions, they should amend the International Health Regulations.
The WHO did, however, recommend extensive testing, which worked well for South Korea (without travel bans, I think).
- Ensorceled 6y agoI don't know what to say, sorry for the confusion around isolation? Right, this is exactly what various sources are attributing Taiwan's success to, since they were not part of WHO, they were able to implement stronger travel restrictions, earlier.
- DiogenesKynikos 6y agoEvery country is able to implement travel restrictions whenever it wants, regardless of what the WHO says. It goes against their treaty obligations, but they (almost) all do it anyways. I'm skeptical that the travel restrictions are what set Taiwan apart. Cases always leak through, and they did in Taiwan as well. The important thing is making sure the virus doesn't spread once it's in the country, which requires things like testing and symptom screening.