By Hsu Jen-hui 徐仁輝The COVID-19 outbreak has triggered panic buying of masks in Taiwan. Starting on Feb. 6, the government centralized the distribution of masks and imposed a limit of two per person per week. Despite the restrictions, Taiwan does not have the capacity to domestically produce sufficient masks to meet demand. Contrast this with distressing reports from China of hostility and discrimination toward people from Wuhan — the epicenter of the outbreak — by their fellow citizens. Some people who are worried that the virus would cause a full-scale epidemic in Taiwan have selfishly chosen to stockpile masks.

Source: Taipei Times February 19, 2020 15:56 UTC