Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, but the new global epidemic center is the US and Europe, causing Asians worried about the pandemic to decide to return home.
Hong Kong, where the daily number of new patients does not exceed 10, suddenly recorded 65 more cases of nCoV infection within 24 hours.
To prevent a wave of infections, authorities across Asia have tightened borders.
Medical staff take test samples for passengers at Incheon airport, South Korea on March 26.
South Korea, a country globally praised for quickly `flattening the curve` on the Covid-19 data graph, initially only required passengers from a few countries to quarantine, but this week they opened
`We believe that in the current epidemic situation, minimizing non-essential immigration activities is a responsible and necessary measure, to effectively protect life, safety and security.
Mainland China’s new border controls forced most foreign airlines to cut back to one flight per week.
Alex Fei, a Chinese student in Canada, is among the international students struggling to return home.
Those returned to Asia are often closely monitored during quarantine.
Other regions in Asia also use technology to effectively enforce quarantine orders.
People quarantined in Singapore must also share location data with authorities every day to demonstrate compliance.
`The virus spreads mainly because people do not realize they have symptoms. Some people blatantly ignore symptoms and interact with many people, despite the government’s self-isolation recommendations,` said the person.
In some cases, authorities even used harsh criminal justice tools to punish those who broke quarantine orders.
A Taiwanese man was also fined $33,000 for sneaking into a club during quarantine.
`Countries are really trying to fight the epidemic by applying their own measures. However, that is still not enough to solve a global health problem,` said Kristi Govella, Asia research expert
South Korea has not yet banned passengers from anywhere except Hubei province in China, sparking criticism that this is placing a burden on the health system.
`It is time to make efforts to protect each other at the global level, by conducting community quarantine on an international scale,` he opined.
Experts say that the current measures are still effective, while governments are trying to protect citizens.
`While the first priority is certainly to try to control the virus, everyone must also think about the huge costs to pay. If the crisis lasts longer, those costs are bound to get higher,` said Karen Eggleston,
Sean Sierra, an officer in the US Navy stationed at Yokosuka base, Japan, said he still does not see the end of the crisis.
After Sierra completed the quarantine order, the entire Yokosuka base was blocked again because two soldiers here tested positive for nCoV.
