TAIPEI, Taiwan — While China deploys stern communist slogans in its battle against a deadly new coronavirus, democratic Taiwan has embraced cuddly mascots and humour to ease public anxiety and educate on best practices. The health ministry has deployed a cartoon " spokesdog " -- a Shiba Inu called Zongchai -- that has proved a hit with hashtags of his name going viral and posts shared hundreds of thousands of times. Despite its cultural links and close proximity to China, Taiwan moved swiftly against the outbreak, quickly restricting and then banning arrivals from the mainland. There was brief panic buying of face masks before authorities limited each person to just two face masks every seven days using health insurance cards. The island has also restricted the number of face masks a person can take abroad to 250.

Source: Philippine Star February 17, 2020 03:54 UTC