Zero-COVID

File:20200410 Flatten the curve, raise the line - pandemic (English).gif) and lessening overall cases and health impact. In contrast, zero-COVID strategies aimed to completely eliminate the virus and return to normal social and economic activities.]]

Epidemiologists have differentiated between two broad strategies for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: mitigation and elimination. Mitigation strategies (also commonly known as "flattening the curve") aimed to reduce the growth of an epidemic and to prevent the healthcare system from becoming overburdened, yet still accepted a level of ongoing viral transmission within the community. By contrast, elimination strategies (commonly known as "zero-COVID") aimed to completely stop the spread of the virus within the community, which was seen as the optimal way to allow the resumption of normal social and economic activity. In comparison with mitigation strategies, elimination involved stricter short-term measures to completely eliminate the virus, followed by milder long-term measures to prevent a return of the virus.{{cite journal |journal=The Medical Journal of Australia |doi=10.5694/mja2.50735 |pmid=32789868 |first1=Michael G |last1=Baker |first2=Amanda |last2=Kvalsvig |first3=Ayesha J |last3=Verrall |title=New Zealand's COVID-19 elimination strategy |date=13 August 2020|volume=213 |issue=5 |pages=198–200.e1 |pmc=7436486 }}

After elimination of COVID-19 from a region, zero-COVID strategies required stricter border controls in order to prevent reintroduction of the virus, more rapid identification of new outbreaks, and better contact tracing to end new outbreaks. Advocates of zero-COVID argued that the costs of these measures were lower than the economic and social costs of long-term social distancing measures and increased mortality incurred by mitigation strategies.

The long-term "exit path" for both elimination and mitigation strategies depended on the development of effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.{{cite journal |journal=Lancet Global Health |title=Elimination versus mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 in the presence of effective vaccines |doi=10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00494-0 |date=January 2022|pages=e142–e147|volume=10 |issue=1 |first1=Miquel |last1=Oliu-Barton |first2=Bary S R |last2=Pradelski |first3=Yann |last3=Algan |first4=Michael G|last4=Baker|first5=Agnes |last5=Binagwaho |first6=Gregory |last6=Dore |first7=Ayman |last7=El-Mohandes |first8=Arnaud |last8=Fontanet|first9= Andreas |last9=Peichl|first10=Viola |last10=Priesemann|first11=Guntram B |last11=Wolff|first12=Gavin |last12=Yamey|first13=Jeffrey V|last13=Lazarus| pmid=34739862 |pmc=8563003}}

{{further|Public health mitigation of COVID-19}}

The zero-COVID approach aimed to prevent viral transmission using a number of different measures, including vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions such as contact tracing and quarantine. Successful containment or suppression reduced the basic reproduction number of the virus below the critical threshold.{{cite news |title=Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID19 mortality and healthcare demand |date=16 March 2020 |work=Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team |url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf}} Different combinations of measures were used during the initial containment phase, when the virus was first eliminated from a region; and the sustained containment phase, when the goal was to prevent reestablishment of viral transmission within the community.

{{main article|COVID-19 lockdowns}}

Lockdowns encompassed measures such as closures of non-essential businesses, stay-at-home orders, and movement restrictions. During lockdowns, governments were typically required to supply basic necessities to households. Lockdown measures were commonly used to achieve initial containment of the virus. In China, lockdowns of specific high-risk communities were also sometimes used to suppress new outbreaks.

{{further|Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic}}

File:202201 IgM Testing Lab at Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1 Concourse Z.jpg Testing Lab at Frankfurt Airport for travelers to China]]

In order to prevent reintroduction of the virus into zero-COVID regions after initial containment had been achieved, quarantine for incoming travelers was commonly used. As each infected traveler could seed a new outbreak, the goal of travel quarantine was to intercept the largest possible percentage of infected travelers.{{cite journal |journal=Journal of the Royal Society Interface |doi=10.1098/rsif.2021.0063 |title=Managing the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak from border arrivals |date=April 2021 |volume=18 |issue=177 |pmid=33878278 |first1=Nicholas |last1=Steyn |first2=Michael J |last2=Plank |first3=Alex |last3=James |first4=Rachelle N |last4=Binny |first5=Shaun C |last5=Hendy |first6=Audrey |last6=Lustig|pmc=8086931 }}

International flights to China were heavily restricted, and incoming travelers were required to undergo PCR testing and quarantine in designated hotels and facilities.{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Thoracic Disease |doi=10.21037/jtd-20-2363 |volume=12 |issue=8 |pages=4434–4449 |title=The public health response to the COVID-19 outbreak in mainland China: a narrative review |first1=Mark |last1=Zanin |first2=Cheng |last2=Xiao |first3=Tingting |last3=Liang |first4=Shiman |last4=Ling |first5=Fengming |last5=Zhao |first6=Zhenting |last6=Huang |first7=Fangmei |last7=Lin |first8=Xia |last8=Lin |first9=Zhanpeng |last9=Jiang |first10=Sook-San |last10=Wong |date=August 2020 |pmid=32944357|pmc=7475588 |doi-access=free }} In order to facilitate quarantine for travelers, China constructed specialized facilities at its busiest ports of entry, including Guangzhou and Xiamen. New Zealand and Australia also established managed isolation and quarantine facilities for incoming travelers.

Through November 2020, border quarantine measures prevented nearly 4,000 infected international travelers from entering the wider community within China.{{cite journal |title=Comprehensive large-scale nucleic acid–testing strategies support China's sustained containment of COVID-19 |date=15 April 2021 |journal=Nature Medicine |volume=27 |pages=740–742 |doi=10.1038/s41591-021-01308-7 |pmid=33859409 |first1=Zhongjie |last1=Li |first2=Fengfeng |last2=Liu |first3=Jinzhao |last3=Cui |first4=Zhibin |last4=Peng |first5=Zhaorui |last5=Chang |first6=Shengjie |last6=Lai |first7=Qiulan |last7=Chen |first8=Liping |last8=Wang |first9=George F. |last9=Gao |first10=Zijian |last10=Feng|issue=5 |s2cid=233258711 |doi-access=free }} Each month, hundreds of travelers who tested negative before flying to China subsequently tested positive while undergoing quarantine after arrival.

{{main article|Contact tracing}}

File:Covid-19-Contact-tracing-Infectious-timeline-02.gif

Contact tracing involved identifying people who have been exposed to (or "came into close contact with") an infected person. Public health workers then isolated the known infected person and attempted to locate all of those exposed persons, and quarantine them until they either were unlikely to be infectious or received several negative tests. Various studies argued that early detection and isolation of infected people was the single most effective measure for preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2. "Quarantine" referred to the separation of exposed persons who could have possibly been infected from the rest of society, while "isolation" referred to the separation of persons who were known to be infected.{{cite web |title=What is the difference between isolation and quarantine? |url=https://www.hhs.gov/answers/public-health-and-safety/what-is-the-difference-between-isolation-and-quarantine/index.html |website=HHS.gov |access-date=27 March 2022 |language=en |date=9 February 2015}}

In China, when an infected person was identified, all close contacts were required to undergo a 14-day quarantine alongside multiple rounds of PCR testing. In order to minimize the risk that these close contacts posed for outbreak containment, China implemented quarantine in centralized facilities for those deemed to be at the highest-risk of infection.{{cite journal |first=Qiulan |last=Chen |journal=The BMJ |title=Rapid and sustained containment of covid-19 is achievable and worthwhile: implications for pandemic response |doi=10.1136/BMJ-2021-066169 |volume=375 |date=2 December 2021|pages=e066169 |pmid=34852997 |pmc=8634366 }} Secondary close contacts (contacts of close contacts) are sometimes required to quarantine at home.

The widespread use of smartphones enabled more rapid "digital" contact tracing. In China, "health code" applications were used to facilitate the identification of close contacts, via analysis of Bluetooth logs which show proximity between devices. Taiwan also made use of digital contact tracing, notably to locate close contacts of passengers who disembarked from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the site of an early outbreak in February 2020.{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health |title=How to Keep COVID-19 at Bay: A Taiwanese Perspective |doi=10.2991/jegh.k.201028.001 |date=March 2021 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1–5 |pmid=33605120 |first1=Chih-Cheng |last1=Lai |first2=Muh-Yong |last2=Yen |first3=Ping-Ing |last3=Lee |first4=Po-Ren |last4=Hsueh|pmc=7958278 }}

{{Further|COVID-19 testing}}

In China, routine PCR testing was carried out on all patients who present with fever or respiratory symptoms. In addition, various categories of workers, such as medical staff and workers who handle imported goods, were regularly tested.

In China, routine testing of key populations identified index patients in a number of outbreaks, including outbreaks in Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Qingdao, and Manchuria. In some cases, index patients had been discovered while asymptomatic, limiting the amount of onward transmission into the community.

{{Further|COVID-19 surveillance}}

An additional tool for identifying cases outside of known transmission chains was community-wide screening, in which populations of specific neighborhoods or cities were PCR tested. In China, community-wide PCR testing was carried out during outbreaks in order to identify infected people, including those without symptoms or known contact with infected people. Community-wide screening was intended to rapidly isolate infected people from the general population, and to allow a quicker return to normal economic activity. China first carried out community-wide screening from 14 May to 1 June 2020 in Wuhan, and used this technique in subsequent outbreaks. In outbreaks in June 2020 in Beijing and July 2020 in Dalian, community screening identified 26% and 22% of infections, respectively. In order to test large populations quickly, China commonly used pooled testing, combining five to ten samples before testing, and retesting all individuals in each batch that tested positive.

{{further|National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic}}

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Australia#Preventive measures}}

File:COVID-19 travel restrictions for Australians.png

The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, in Victoria, when a man who had returned from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, tested positive for the virus.{{cite web |date=25 January 2020 |title=First confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Australia |url=https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/first-confirmed-case-of-novel-coronavirus-in-australia|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215171557/https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/first-confirmed-case-of-novel-coronavirus-in-australia|archive-date=15 February 2020|access-date=3 March 2020 |website=Australian Government Department of Health}} A human biosecurity emergency was declared on 18 March 2020. Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March,{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Kelly |title=Australia closes borders to stop coronavirus |url=https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/australia-closes-borders-to-stop-coronavirus-c-752927 |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=7 News |date=19 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319081310/https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/australia-closes-borders-to-stop-coronavirus-c-752927 |archive-date=19 March 2020 |url-status=live}} and returning residents were required to spend two weeks in supervised quarantine hotels from 27 March.{{cite news |last1=Schneiders |first1=Ben |title=How hotel quarantine let COVID-19 out of the bag in Victoria |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/how-hotel-quarantine-let-covid-19-out-of-the-bag-in-victoria-20200703-p558og.html |url-access=limited |access-date=5 January 2021 |work=The Age |date=3 July 2020}} Many individual states and territories also closed their borders to varying degrees, with some remaining closed until late 2020,{{cite web |first=Candice |last=Marshall |date=1 December 2020 |title=Updates: A state by state guide to border closures and travel restrictions |url=https://www.escape.com.au/travel-advice/when-travel-restrictions-will-be-eased-in-your-state/news-story/4c012ab906650f47b59b81801480f9ad|access-date=6 December 2020 |website=Escape.com.au}} and continuing to periodically close during localised outbreaks.{{cite web |date=12 February 2021 |title=Borders across Australia close in the face of the Victorian COVID-19 outbreak. This is where you can travel |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-12/victorian-outbreak-australia-reacts-where-you-can-travel/13150852|access-date=22 February 2021 |website=ABC News}}

Social distancing rules were introduced on 21 March, and state governments started to close "non-essential" services.{{cite news |title=Australia's social distancing rules have been enhanced to slow coronavirus – here's how they work |work=ABC |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-20/coronavirus-covid-19-scott-morrison-enhanced-social-distancing/12075532 |date=21 March 2020|access-date=22 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321164326/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-20/coronavirus-covid-19-scott-morrison-enhanced-social-distancing/12075532|archive-date=21 March 2020|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Australia coronavirus updates live: NSW and Victoria to shut down non-essential services |work=The Guardian Australia |last1=Knaus |first1=Christopher |last2=Wahlquist |first2=Calla |last3=Remeikis |first3=Amy |date=22 March 2020|access-date=22 March 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/mar/22/coronavirus-updates-live-australia-nsw-victoria-qld-tasmania-cases-government-stimulus-latest-update-news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322010802/https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/mar/22/coronavirus-updates-live-australia-nsw-victoria-qld-tasmania-cases-government-stimulus-latest-update-news|archive-date=22 March 2020|url-status=live}} "Non-essential services" included social gathering venues such as pubs and clubs but unlike many other countries did not include most business operations such as construction, manufacturing and many retail categories.{{cite web |url=https://www.business.gov.au/risk-management/emergency-management/coronavirus-information-and-support-for-business/restrictions-on-non-essential-services |title=Restrictions on non-essential services |website=business.gov.au |date=3 April 2020|access-date=20 April 2020}}

During the second wave of May and June 2020, Victoria underwent a second strict lockdown with the use of helicopters and the Army to help the police enforce the Zero-COVID lockdown, which would become a norm of deployment, such as during the COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak in Sydney a year later.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58021718|title=Covid in Sydney: Military deployed to help enforce lockdown|work=BBC News|date=30 July 2021}}{{cite web |first=Phil |last=Mercer |date=26 October 2020 |title=Covid: Melbourne's hard-won success after a marathon lockdown |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-54654646|access-date=6 December 2020 |website=BBC News}} The wave ended with zero new cases being recorded on 26 October 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-11/fuel-spark-victoria-response-virus-public-health-bushfire/12443982 |title=How Victoria's coronavirus response became a public health 'bushfire' with a second-wave lockdown |work=ABC News (Australia) |date=11 July 2020|access-date=11 July 2020}}{{cite web |first1=Noel |last1=Towell |first2=Tammy |last2=Mills |date=18 August 2020 |title=Family of four staying at Rydges seeded 90% of second-wave COVID cases |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/it-started-with-a-family-of-four-rydges-seeded-90-per-cent-of-victoria-s-second-wave-covid-cases-20200818-p55mqe.html|access-date=20 August 2020 |website=The Age}}{{cite press release |author1=Daniel Andrews–Premier |title=Statement From The Premier |url=https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-premier-79 |access-date=3 February 2021 |work=www.premier.vic.gov.au |date=26 October 2020}} Distinctive aspects of that response included early interventions to reduce reflected transmission from countries other than China during late January and February 2020; early recruitment of a large contact tracing workforce;{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/contact-tracing-how-disease-detectives-are-closing-in-on-covid-19-in-australia-20200410-p54itv.html |title=Coronavirus Australia: How contact tracing is closing in on COVID-19 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=16 April 2020 |access-date=}} comparatively high public trust in government responses to the pandemic, at least compared to the United States;{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/nyregion/nyc-contact-tracing.html |url-access=limited |title=N.Y.C. Hired 3,000 Workers for Contact Tracing. It's Off to a Slow Start. |newspaper=The New York Times |date=21 June 2020 |access-date= |last1=Otterman |first1=Sharon}} and later on, the use of short, intense lockdowns to facilitate exhaustive contact tracing of new outbreaks.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/world/australia/perth-lockdown.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/world/australia/perth-lockdown.html |archive-date=28 December 2021 |url-access=limited |title=One Coronavirus Case, Total Lockdown: Australia's Lessons for the World |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 2021 |access-date= |last1=Cave |first1=Damien}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/south-australia-covid-lockdown-six-days-89751391-ccf9-4053-b0fb-fde1d14a4610.html|title=South Australia to enter strict "circuit breaker" lockdown for 6 days|first=Rebecca|last=Falconer|website=Axios|date=18 November 2020}} Australia's international borders also remained largely closed, with limited numbers of strictly controlled arrivals, for the duration of the pandemic.{{cite web |date=2 July 2021 |title=Fortress Australia's COVID-19 breaches expose economic shortcomings |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/fortress-australias-covid-19-breaches-expose-economic-shortcomings-2021-07-02/|access-date=16 July 2021 |website=Reuters}} Australia sought to develop a Bluetooth-based contact tracing app that does not use the privacy-preserving Exposure Notification framework supported natively by Android and Apple smartphones, and while these efforts were not particularly effective,{{cite web|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/covid-safe-app-millions-spent-on-advertising/fd3456ce-0954-4f6f-a364-6f1f7d9923cb|title=COVIDSafe app detected just 17 contacts after millions spent|website=www.9news.com.au|date=27 October 2020 }}{{cite news |title=Google and Apple release technology to help with coronavirus contact tracing |first1=Ariel |last1=Bogle |first2=Stephanie |last2=Borys |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-21/google-apple-technology-help-coronavirus-contact-tracing/12271728 |date=21 May 2020 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=24 July 2021}}{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Grubb |date=29 June 2020 |title='There's no way we're shifting': Australia rules out Apple-Google coronavirus tracing method |url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/there-s-no-way-we-re-shifting-australia-rules-out-apple-google-coronavirus-tracing-method-20200629-p5573s.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=24 July 2021}} QR code–based contact tracing apps became ubiquitous in Australia's businesses.{{cite web |url=https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-government-qr-code-service |title=Victorian Government QR Code Service |publisher=Coronavirus Victoria}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/covid-safe/customer-record-keeping/qr-codes |title=Electronic check-in guidance and QR codes |publisher=NSW Government |date=27 May 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/restrictions-and-responsibilities/covid-safe-check-in |title=COVID SAfe Check-In |publisher=SA.GOV.AU: COVID-19 |date=8 June 2021 |access-date=5 January 2022 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128095657/https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/restrictions-and-responsibilities/covid-safe-check-in |url-status=dead }}

In July 2021, the Australian National Cabinet unveiled plans to live with COVID and end lockdowns and restrictions contingent on high vaccine uptake.{{Cite web |title=NATIONAL PLAN TO TRANSITION AUSTRALIA'S NATIONAL COVID RESPONSE |url=https://www.pmc.gov.au/national-plan-transition-australias-national-covid-response |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607095448/https://www.pmc.gov.au/national-plan-transition-australias-national-covid-response |archive-date=7 June 2022 |access-date=7 June 2022 |website=www.pmc.gov.au}} By August 2021, amid outbreaks in New South Wales, Victoria, and the ACT, Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded a return to Zero-COVID was highly unlikely.{{Cite web |title=Morrison says it's 'highly unlikely' Australia will return to zero COVID-19 cases |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-covid19-pm-scott-morrison-unlikely-australia-zero-covid-cases/4e654362-ac61-42b7-83c3-a0a999f4a540 |access-date=7 June 2022 |website=www.9news.com.au|date=22 August 2021 }} Over the following months, each Australian jurisdiction began a living with COVID strategy either through ending lockdowns or voluntarily allowing the virus to enter by opening borders.{{Cite news |last1=Jose |first1=Renju |last2=Barrett |first2=Jonathan |date=11 October 2021 |title='Freedom Day': Sydney reopens as Australia looks to live with COVID-19 |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/long-100-days-sydney-reopens-australia-looks-live-with-covid-19-2021-10-10/ |access-date=7 June 2022}}{{Cite web |title=Tears and cheers as first flights from NSW land in Queensland |url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-australia-update-queensland-border-reopens-as-covid-restrictions-ease/79915435-cb76-4877-91f7-5199fa25d7ee |access-date=7 June 2022 |website=www.9news.com.au|date=13 December 2021 }}

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Bhutan}}

As of January 2022, Bhutan was following a Zero-COVID strategy. The country enforced lockdowns on districts (dzongkhags) whenever local cases of COVID-19 were detected, and health personnel isolated elderly people and others with comorbidities who were in close contact with those COVID-19 cases. However, the Omicron variant challenged Bhutan's elimination strategy, and the country abandoned it in mid-April, instead focusing on hospitalization rates.

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Canada#Government response}}

{{see also|Atlantic Bubble}}

File:Atlantic Bubble, 21 August 2020.jpg checkpoint on the Trans-Canada Highway, when entering from Nova Scotia in August 2020. ]]

The virus was confirmed to have reached Canada on 27 January 2020, after an individual who had returned to Toronto from Wuhan, Hubei, China, tested positive. The first case of community transmission in Canada was confirmed in British Columbia on 5 March.{{cite web |last=Slaughter |first=Graham |date=5 March 2020 |title=Canada confirms first 'community case' of COVID-19: Here's what that means |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-confirms-first-community-case-of-covid-19-here-s-what-that-means-1.4841249 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308145326/https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-confirms-first-community-case-of-covid-19-here-s-what-that-means-1.4841249 |archive-date=8 March 2020 |access-date=14 March 2020 |website=CTVNews}} In March 2020, as cases of community transmission were confirmed, all of Canada's provinces and territories declared states of emergency. Provinces and territories have, to varying degrees, implemented prohibitions on gatherings, closures of non-essential businesses and restrictions on entry with Atlantic Canada and the three Canadian Territories adopting a COVID-Zero approach.{{Cite web |last=Nikiforuk |first=Andrew |date=2 April 2021 |title=Canada Is One Big Pandemic Response Experiment. It Proves 'Zero COVID' Is Best |url=https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/04/02/Canada-One-Big-Pandemic-Response-Experiment-Zero-COVID/ |access-date=20 March 2022 |website=The Tyee |language=English}} On 24 June 2020, it was announced that the four Atlantic provinces: New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador had come to an agreement of creating a free-travel bubble while maintaining low case numbers inside, effective 3 July 2020.{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Shane |date=24 June 2020 |title=Atlantic provinces agree to regional COVID-19 pandemic bubble |publisher=CBC News PEI |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-atlantic-bubble-covid19-1.5625133 |access-date=10 November 2020}}{{cite web |date=24 June 2020 |title=Atlantic Provinces Form Travel Bubble |url=https://immediac.blob.core.windows.net/cap-cmha/images/Newsroom/Draft%20news%20release%20(v7).pdf |access-date=10 November 2020 |publisher=The Council of Atlantic Premiers}} In late November 2020, mounting cases led to the disbandment of the Atlantic Bubble,{{cite web |last=Grimes |first=Jolene |title=COVID Cases in Atlantic Bubble Remain Low as Cases Grow Across Canada |url=https://vocm.com/2020/12/23/covid-cases-in-atlantic-bubble-remain-low-as-cases-grow-across-canada/}} with each of the Atlantic provinces maintaining their own travel restrictions and Zero-COVID policies after the bubble burst.{{Cite news |last=MacDonald |first=Michael |date=7 January 2022 |title=Fast spreading Omicron crushes Atlantic Canada's acclaimed COVID-Zero strategy |language=en |work=National Post |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/atlantic-canadas-vaunted-covid-zero-strategy-no-match-for-omicron-variant |access-date=20 March 2022}} Throughout 2020 and 2021, infection rates and deaths in the Atlantic provinces remained low, especially compared to the more populated areas of Canada which did not implement COVID-Zero. The appearance of the Delta and Omicron variants led to the successive abandonment of COVID-Zero in Atlantic Canada at the end of 2021.

{{main article|Chinese government response to COVID-19#Zero-COVID policy}}

File:PRC Exit-Entry Health Declaration Form - February 2020.jpg were required to write a health declaration which asked whether they had been to Hubei Province.{{cite web|url=https://tech.sina.com.cn/roll/2020-01-30/doc-iimxxste7740072.shtml|title=出入境健康申报指引|date=30 January 2020|work=中央广播电视总台国际在线|access-date=31 January 2020}}]]

China was the first country to experience the COVID-19 pandemic. The first cluster of pneumonia patients was discovered in late December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and a public notice on the outbreak was distributed on 31 December 2019.

On 23 January 2020, the Chinese government banned travel to and from Wuhan, and began implementing strict lockdowns in Wuhan and other cities throughout China. These measures suppressed transmission of the virus below the critical threshold, bringing the basic reproduction number of the virus to near zero. On 4 February 2020, around two weeks after the beginning of the lockdowns in Hubei province, case counts peaked in the province and began to decline thereafter.{{cite journal |title=An investigation of transmission control measures during the first 50 days of the COVID-19 epidemic in China |date=31 March 2020 |journal=Science |volume=368 |issue=6491 |pages=638–642 |doi=10.1126/science.abb6105 |first1=HUAIYU |last1=TIAN |first2=YONGHONG |last2=LIU |first3=YIDAN |last3=LI |first4=CHIEH-HSI |last4=WU |first5=BIN |last5=CHEN |first6=MORITZ U. G. |last6=KRAEMER |first7=BINGYING |last7=LI |first8=JUN |last8=CAI |first9=BO |last9=XU |first10=QIQI |last10=YANG |first11=BEN |last11=WANG |first12=PENG |last12=YANG |first13=YUJUN |last13=CUI |first14=YIMENG |last14=SONG |first15=PAI |last15=ZHENG |first16=QUANYI |last16=WANG |first17=OTTAR N. |last17=BJORNSTAD |first18=RUIFU |last18=YANG |first19=BRYAN T. |last19=GRENFELL |first20=OLIVER G. |last20=PYBUS |first21=CHRISTOPHER |last21=DYE|pmid=32234804 |pmc=7164389 |bibcode=2020Sci...368..638T }} The outbreak remained largely concentrated within Hubei province, with over 80% of cases nationwide through 22 March 2020 occurring there.

The death toll in China during the initial outbreak was approximately 4,600 according to official figures (equivalent to 3.2 deaths per million population),{{cite journal |url=https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/china |title="China: Coronavirus Pandemic Country Profile" |journal=Our World in Data |first1=Hannah |last1=Ritchie |author1-link=Hannah Ritchie |first2=Edouard |last2=Mathieu |first3=Lucas |last3=Rodés-Guirao |first4=Cameron |last4=Appel |first5=Charlie |last5=Giattino |first6=Esteban |last6=Ortiz-Ospina |first7=Joe |last7=Hasell |first8=Bobbie |last8=Macdonald |first9=Diana |last9=Beltekian |first10=Max |last10=Roser |author10-link=Max Roser |date=5 March 2020 |accessdate=13 February 2022}} and has been estimated at under 5,000 by a scientific study of excess pneumonia mortality published in The BMJ.{{cite journal |journal=The BMJ |doi=10.1136/bmj.n415 |title=Excess mortality in Wuhan city and other parts of China during the three months of the covid-19 outbreak: findings from nationwide mortality registries |date=24 February 2021 |first1=Jiangmei |last1=Liu |first2=Lan |last2=Zhang |first3=Yaqiong |last3=Yan |first4=Yuchang |last4=Zhou |first5=Peng |last5=Yin |first6=Jinlei |last6=Qi |first7=Lijun |last7=Wang|volume=372 |pages=n415 |pmid=33627311 |pmc=7900645 }}

As the epidemic receded, the focus shifted towards restarting economic activity and preventing a resurgence of the virus.{{cite journal |journal=Clinical Infectious Diseases |title=One Hundred Days of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Prevention and Control in China |date=5 June 2020 |volume=72 |issue=2 |pages=332–339 |doi=10.1093/cid/ciaa725 |first1=Lei |last1=Zhou |first2=Zunyou |last2=Wu |first3=Zhongjie |last3=Li |first4=Yanping |last4=Zhang |first5=Jennifer M |last5=McGoogan |first6=Qun |last6=Li |first7=Xiaoping |last7=Dong |first8=Ruiqi |last8=Ren |first9=Luzhao |last9=Feng |first10=Xiaopeng |last10=Qi |first11=Jingjing |last11=Xi |first12=Ying |last12=Cui |first13=Wenjie |last13=Tan |first14=Guoqing |last14=Shi |first15=Guizhen |last15=Wu |first16=Wenbo |last16=Xu |first17=Xiaoqi |last17=Wang |first18=Jiaqi |last18=Ma |first19=Xuemei |last19=Su |first20=Zijian |last20=Feng |first21=George F |last21=Gao|pmid=33501949 |pmc=7314211 }} Low- and medium-risk areas of the country began to ease social distancing measures on 17 February 2020. Reopening was accompanied by an increase in testing and the development of electronic "health codes" (using smartphone applications) to facilitate contact tracing. Health code applications contain personalized risk information, based on recent contacts and test results. Wuhan, the last major city to reopen, ended its lockdown on 8 April 2020.{{cite journal |journal=Global Health Action |doi=10.1080/16549716.2021.1875601 |title=COVID-19 in Germany and China: mitigation versus elimination strategy |date=20 January 2021 |first1=Guangyu |last1= Lu |first2=Oliver |last2=Razum |first3=Albrecht |last3=Jahn |first4=Yuying |last4=Zhang |first5=Brett |last5=Sutton |first6=Devi |last6=Sridhar |first7=Koya |last7=Ariyoshi |first8=Lorenz |last8=von Seidlein |first9=Olaf |last9=Müllerc|volume=14 |issue=1 |pmid=33472568 |pmc=7833051 |s2cid=231663818 }}

China reported its first imported COVID-19 case from an incoming traveler on 30 January 2020. As the number of imported cases rose and the number of domestic cases fell, China began imposing restrictions on entry into the country. Inbound flights were restricted, and all incoming passengers were required to undergo quarantine.

After the containment of the initial outbreak in Wuhan, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) argued, "The successful containment effort builds confidence in China, based on experience and knowledge gained, that future waves of COVID-19 can be stopped, if not prevented. Case identification and management, coupled with identification and quarantine of close contacts, is a strategy that works." The China CDC rejected a mitigation strategy, and instead explained that "[t]he current strategic goal is to maintain no or minimal indigenous transmission of SARS-CoV-2 until the population is protected through immunisation with safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, at which time the risk of COVID-19 from any source should be at a minimum. This strategy buys time for urgent development of vaccines and treatments in an environment with little ongoing morbidity and mortality."

Since the end of the initial outbreak in Wuhan, there have been additional, smaller outbreaks caused by imported cases, which have been controlled through short-term, localized intense public health measures. From July through August 2021, China experienced and contained 11 outbreaks of the Delta variant, with a total of 1,390 detected cases (out of a population of 1.4 billion in mainland China). The largest of these outbreaks, in both geographic extent and in the number of people infected, began in Nanjing. The index case of the outbreak, an airport worker, tested positive on 20 July 2021, and the outbreak was traced back to an infected passenger on a flight from Moscow that had arrived on 10 July. The outbreak spread to multiple provinces before it was contained, with a total of 1,162 detected infections.{{cite journal |doi=10.46234/ccdcw2021.213 |pmid=34703643 |title=Eleven COVID-19 Outbreaks with Local Transmissions Caused by the Imported SARS-CoV-2 Delta VOC — China, July–August, 2021 |journal=China CDC Weekly |date=8 October 2021 |first1=Lei |last1=Zhou |first2=Kai |last2=Nie |first3=Hongting |last3=Zhao |first4=Xiang |last4=Zhao |first5=Bixiong |last5=Ye |first6=Ji |last6=Wang |first7=Cao |last7=Chen |first8=Hong |last8=Wang |first9=Jiangli |last9=Di |first10=Jinsong |last10=Li|volume=3 |issue=41 |pages=863–868 |pmc=8521157 }} China made use of mass testing to control several outbreaks. For example, nearly the entire population of the city of Guangzhou—approximately 18 million residents—were tested over the course of three days in June 2021, during a Delta variant outbreak.{{cite news |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3136378/coronavirus-18-million-tests-three-days-guangzhou-tries-stem |date=7 June 2021 |first=Guo |last=Rui |title=Coronavirus: 18 million tests in three days as Guangzhou tries to stem spread in latest outbreak |publisher=South China Morning Post |accessdate=12 February 2022}}

In 2022, China faced unprecedented waves of infections caused by the Omicron variant and subvariants, with daily cases reaching record highs in the thousands—levels not seen at any prior point in the pandemic.{{Cite news |date=26 March 2022 |title=China reports 1,335 new COVID cases for March 25 vs 1,366 a day earlier |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-reports-1335-new-covid-cases-march-25-vs-1366-day-earlier-2022-03-26/ |access-date=26 March 2022}} Similar zero-COVID measures were deployed in some areas with lockdowns in Shenzhen,{{Cite news |date=17 March 2022 |title=Some areas of China's Shenzhen city to restart work, public transport on March 18 |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/some-areas-chinas-shenzhen-city-restart-work-public-transport-march-18-2022-03-17/ |access-date=26 March 2022}} Shenyang{{Cite web |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=22 March 2022 |title=China locks down city of 9 million and reports 4,000 cases as Omicron tests zero-Covid strategy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/china-locks-down-city-of-9-million-and-reports-4000-cases-as-omicron-tests-zero-covid-strategy |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} and Jilin. Other areas such as Shanghai had previously adopted a less strict approach avoiding wholesale lockdowns,{{Cite web |date=26 March 2022 |title=Shanghai rules out citywide Covid-19 lockdown to protect economy |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3171977/shanghai-rules-out-citywide-covid-19-lockdown-protect-chinas |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Shanghai |first=Agence France-Presse in |date=26 March 2022 |title=Shanghai rules out full lockdown despite sharp rise in Covid cases |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/26/china-shanghai-rules-out-full-lockdown-despite-sharp-rise-in-covid-cases |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} only to issue a snap lockdown in late March due to rapidly rising case counts.{{Cite news |date=27 March 2022 |title=Shanghai Covid: China announces largest city-wide lockdown |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-60893070 |access-date=30 March 2022}} Since 1 April, most areas of Shanghai had instituted "area-separated control".{{cite news |author1=Nina Xiang |title=Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy puts reign at risk |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Xi-Jinping-s-zero-COVID-policy-puts-reign-at-risk |accessdate=17 April 2022 |work=The Nikkei Asia |date=17 April 2022}} This is widely considered to be the largest lockdown event in China since Hubei in early 2020.{{Cite news |date=27 March 2022 |title=Shanghai Covid: China announces largest city-wide lockdown |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-60893070 |access-date=15 April 2022}} These measures have seen some rare pushback from residents over the overzealousness of the implementation and the perceived lack of benefit.{{Cite web |date=26 March 2022 |title=Chinese student protest forces university to ease Covid-19 lockdown |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3171964/chinese-students-force-university-lift-strict-covid-lockdown |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}{{Cite web |author=Analysis by Simone McCarthy |title=Analysis: China doesn't have a Covid exit plan. Two years in, people are fed up and angry |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/25/china/china-covid-frustration-exit-plan-intl-hnk-mic/index.html |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=CNN|date=25 March 2022 }}{{Cite web |date=25 March 2022 |title=Frustration with Covid response grows in China as daily cases near 5,000 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/25/frustration-with-chinas-covid-response-grows-as-daily-cases-near-5000 |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=26 March 2022 |title=Frustration, fears of citywide lockdown as Omicron tests Shanghai |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3171922/frustration-fears-citywide-lockdown-omicron-puts-shanghai-test |access-date=26 March 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2 April 2022 |title=China's state media tries to rally support for zero-Covid as discontent grows |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3172827/chinese-state-media-tries-rally-support-zero-covid-discontent |access-date=2 April 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}

Nationwide protests broke out in late November 2022 amid growing discontent among residents over the zero-COVID policy after the 2022 Ürümqi fire and the resulting economic costs.{{cite news|date=26 November 2022|title=Protests erupt across China in unprecedented challenge to Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/26/china/china-protests-xinjiang-fire-shanghai-intl-hnk/index.html|website=CNN}} According to The Guardian, global health experts generally agreed that zero-COVID was "unsustainable" in the long term.{{cite news |title=China Covid protests explained: why are people demonstrating and what will happen next? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/28/china-protests-explained-why-are-people-demonstrating-blank-piece-white-paper-a4-what-will-happen-next-zero-covid-policy-protest |access-date=30 November 2022 |work=the Guardian |date=28 November 2022 |language=en}} Paul Hunter, professor of the University of East Anglia said that the vaccines approved in China were not as protective as the main Western vaccines, that vaccination and booster rates for the elderly were too low, and that any lifting of restrictions should be incremental to avoid overwhelming hospitals.{{cite news |title=As Officials Ease Covid Restrictions, China Faces New Pandemic Risks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/02/health/china-covid-lockdowns.html |access-date=2 December 2022 |work=the New York Times |date=2 December 2022 |language=en}} In response to the protests, the government loosened and overhauled many of its rules, including detention for people who test positive and compulsory PCR tests, on December 7, 2022.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/world/asia/china-zero-covid-protests.html|title=China Eases 'Zero Covid' Restrictions in Victory for Protesters|first1=Keith|last1=Bradsher|first2=Chang|last2=Che|first3=Amy Chang|last3=Chien|work=The New York Times |date=December 7, 2022|via=NYTimes.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/12/07/1141363515/china-rolls-back-some-of-its-most-controversial-covid-restrictions|title=China rolls back some of its most controversial COVID restrictions|website=NPR.org }}{{Cite web |last=Cheng |first=Simone McCarthy, Cheng |date=2022-12-08 |title='The world changed overnight': Zero-Covid overhaul brings joy — and fears — in China |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/china/china-zero-covid-relaxation-reaction-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=CNN |language=en}} On 12 December, the Chinese government announced it was taking offline one of the main health code apps, which was key in tracking people's travel history to identify whether they had been to high-risk areas.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-12 |title=China scraps tracking app as zero-Covid policy is dismantled |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/12/china-scraps-tracking-app-amid-widespread-dismantling-of-zero-covid-policy |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Simone McCarthy, Selina Wang, Wayne |date=2022-12-12 |title=China scraps virus tracking app as country braces for Covid impact |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/12/china/china-zero-covid-impact-beijing-intl-hnk-mic/index.html |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=CNN |language=en}} Due to this, many sources reported that China's zero-COVID policy had effectively ended.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-11 |title=Economists hail end to zero Covid in China but huge human toll is feared |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/11/economists-hail-end-to-zero-covid-in-china-but-huge-human-toll-is-feared |access-date=2022-12-16 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-12-16 |title=Xi Jinping tied himself to zero-Covid. Now he keeps silent as it falls apart |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/16/china/china-zero-covid-uturn-xi-jinping-intl-hnk-mic/index.html |access-date=2022-12-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2022-12-16 |title=China's Covid Zero Exit Sees Analysts Rush to Adjust Forecasts |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-16/china-s-covid-zero-exit-sees-analysts-rush-to-adjust-forecasts |access-date=2022-12-16}} China's "zero-COVID" policy, which aimed at stopping the spread of the disease, was one of the strictest, longest-lasting COVID-19 policies in the world.

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong}}

File:HK TKO 將軍澳 Tseung Kwan O 唐明街公園 Tong Ming Street Park Covid-19 testing sample collection community centre by 相達生物科技 PHASE Scientific February 2022 Px3 04.jpg

The virus was first confirmed to have spread to Hong Kong on 23 January 2020.{{cite news|last=Cheung|first=Elizabeth|date=22 January 2020|title=China coronavirus: death toll almost doubles in one day as Hong Kong reports its first two cases|work=South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047193/china-coronavirus-first-case-confirmed-hong-kong|url-status=live|access-date=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322000317/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3047193/china-coronavirus-first-case-confirmed-hong-kong|archive-date=22 March 2020}} On 5 February, after a five-day strike by front-line medical workers, the Hong Kong government closed all but three border control points – Hong Kong International Airport, Shenzhen Bay Control Point, and Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge Control Point remaining open. Hong Kong was relatively unscathed by the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some experts believe the habit of wearing masks in public since the SARS epidemic of 2003 may have helped keep its confirmed infections rates low.{{Cite web |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3078437/mask-or-not-mask-who-makes-u-turn-while-us |title=To mask or not to mask: WHO makes U-turn while US, Singapore abandon pandemic advice and tell citizens to start wearing masks |date=4 April 2020 |website=South China Morning Post |access-date=13 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518094122/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3078437/mask-or-not-mask-who-makes-u-turn-while-us |archive-date=18 May 2020 |url-status=live }} In a study published in April 2020 in the Lancet, the authors expressed their belief that border restrictions, quarantine and isolation, social distancing, and behavioural changes likely all played a part in the containment of the disease up to the end of March.{{Cite journal|title=Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: an observational study |first1=Benjamin|last1=Cowling|first2=Sheikh Taslim|last2=Ali|first3=Tiffany|last3=Ng|first4=Tim|last4=Tsang|first5=Julian|last5=Li|first6=Min Whui|last6=Fong|display-authors=etal|date=17 April 2020 |journal=The Lancet|volume=5 |issue=5 |pages=e279–e288 |doi=10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30090-6 |pmid=32311320 |pmc=7164922 }}

After a much smaller second wave in late March and April 2020,{{Cite news |url= https://fortune.com/2020/04/21/hong-kong-coronavirus-second-wave-response/ |title= How Hong Kong squashed its second coronavirus wave |work= Fortune |date= 21 April 2020 |access-date= 13 February 2021 |archive-date=13 December 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201213220959/https://fortune.com/2020/04/21/hong-kong-coronavirus-second-wave-response/ |url-status=live }} Hong Kong saw a substantial uptick in COVID cases in July. Experts attributed this third wave to imported cases – sea crew, aircrew members, and domestic helpers made up the majority of 3rd wave infections.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3093978/hong-kong-third-wave-how-did-citys-scariest-surge|title=How did Hong Kong's third wave of Covid-19 infections start?|date=21 July 2020|first1=Victor|last1=Ting|first2=Elizabeth|last2=Cheung|website=South China Morning Post|access-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728062503/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3093978/hong-kong-third-wave-how-did-citys-scariest-surge|archive-date=28 July 2020|url-status=live}} Measures taken in response included a suspension of school classroom teaching until the end of the year, and an order for restaurants to seat only two persons per table and close at 10:00 p.m. taking effect on 2 December;{{cite web|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2020/11/30/breaking-hong-kong-tightens-covid-19-rules-group-gatherings-limited-to-2-eateries-to-close-at-10pm/|title=Hong Kong tightens Covid-19 rules – group gatherings limited to 2, eateries to close 10pm, new hotline for rule-breakers|first=Rhoda|last=Kwan|work=Hong Kong Free Press|date=30 November 2020|access-date=30 November 2020}} a further tightening of restrictions saw, among other measures, a 6:00 p.m. closing time of restaurants starting from 10 December, and a mandate for authorities to order partial lockdowns in locations with multiple cases of COVID-19 until all residents were tested.{{cite web|url=https://hongkongfp.com/2020/12/08/hong-kong-plans-partial-lockdowns-for-covid-19-hotpots-and-more-tests-as-number-of-new-infections-surges/|title=Hong Kong plans partial lockdowns for Covid-19 hotspots and more tests, as number of new infections surges|first=Candice|last=Chau|work=Hong Kong Free Press|date=8 December 2020|access-date=13 December 2020}} From late January 2021, the government repeatedly locked down residential buildings to conduct mass testings. A free mass vaccination program with the Sinovac vaccine and Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine was launched on 26 February. The government sought to counter the vaccine hesitancy by material incentives, which led to an acceleration of vaccinations in June.{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-lifestyle-travel-coronavirus-vaccine-coronavirus-pandemic-28c1947c8576453ac08ecacf614b7dea|title=Get a jab, win a condo: Hong Kong tries vaccine incentives|first=Zen|last=Soo|work=AP News|date=17 June 2021|access-date=12 July 2021}} From early 2022, to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, Hong Kong had been placed under tightened alert until the day it became 70% fully inoculated.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hong-kong-says-omicron-variant-has-spread-despite-covid-restrictions-2021-12-31/|title=Hong Kong says Omicron has breached its strict COVID-19 restrictions|first1=Marius|last1=Zaharia|first2=Donny|last2=Kwok|newspaper=Reuters|date=31 December 2021|via=www.reuters.com}} Nonetheless, earlier focus and messaging about eliminating all cases had weakened the case for getting vaccinated in the first place, with less than one-quarter of people aged 80 or older having received two doses of a vaccine before Omicron surged.{{cite news |last1=Mueller |first1=Benjamin |title=High Death Rate in Hong Kong Shows Importance of Vaccinating the Elderly |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/21/health/covid-hong-kong-deaths.html |work=The New York Times |date=21 March 2022}}

By mid-February 2022, the Omicron variant had caused the largest outbreak to date in the territory; authorities modified their eradication protocols, but continued to pursue containment.{{Cite news |last=Master |first=Farah |date=21 February 2022 |title=Analysis: Hong Kong's 'zero-COVID' success now worsens strains of Omicron spike |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/hong-kongs-zero-covid-success-now-worsens-strains-omicron-spike-2022-02-19/ |access-date=7 March 2022}} By mid-March, the virus spread rapidly in the densely populated city, and researchers at University of Hong Kong estimated that almost half the population was infected at one point since the start of the outbreak, compared to only 1 percent of the population before the surge.{{Cite web |title=How Hong Kong went from 'zero-Covid' to the world's highest death rate |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/hong-kong-covid-outbreak-rcna20033 |access-date=20 March 2022 |website=NBC News |date=15 March 2022 |language=en}} Daily new cases peaked to over 70,000 by March, a far cry from the single-digit daily case loads from Hong Kong's successful implementation of Zero-COVID. Total deaths increased from around 200 over the two years of the pandemic{{Cite web |date=15 March 2022 |title=How Hong Kong went from Zero Covid success story to the world's worst Omicron wave |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/science/how-hong-kong-went-from-zero-covid-success-story-to-the-worlds-worst-omicron-wave-1517171 |access-date=20 March 2022 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}} to exceeding 7,000 in a span of a few weeks, leading Hong Kong's COVID-19 deaths per capita, once far lower than those of Western nations, to become the highest in the world during March. The massive death toll and high infection rates while maintaining strict eradication protocols led to the calls for authorities to review Hong Kong's Zero-COVID strategy, as well as questioning the sustainability of such an approach with the Omicron variant.{{Cite news |last=Riordan |first=Primrose |date=25 February 2022 |title=EU warns of Hong Kong exodus as diplomats oppose Covid controls |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f098a9cf-c1ad-4f51-8945-b80a628d8c97 |access-date=20 March 2022}}{{Cite web |date=18 March 2022 |title='Frank words', warnings prompted Hong Kong leader's rethink of anti-Covid measures |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3170886/hong-kong-tipping-point-frank-words-dire-warnings |access-date=20 March 2022 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}

{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in Macau}}

Macau, like mainland China and Hong Kong, has followed a zero-COVID strategy ({{langx|pt|Meta Dinâmica de Infecção Zero}}). The city, whose economy is heavily dependent on revenues from its casinos, has closed its borders to all travelers who are not residents of Greater China. Despite its proximity to mainland China, from the beginning of the pandemic through 11 March 2022, Macau confirmed only 82 total infections and not a single death.{{citation|url=https://www.casino.org/news/macau-vaccination-rate-hits-80-percent-but-zero-covid-policy-remains/|title=Macau Vaccination Rate Hits 80 Percent, But Zero COVID-19 Policy Remains|work=Casino.org|date=11 March 2022|accessdate=2 April 2022 |last1=O'Connor |first1=Devin }}

From mid-June to mid-July 2022, Macau saw an unprecedented wave of infections driven by the BA.5 Omicron subvariant. Health authorities imposed restrictions on activities, including ordering residents to stay at home and the closure of non-essential businesses, including for the first time since February 2020, all its casinos.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-casinos-gambling-8f81fa98964d4d8fb39d1d39aeef38e7|title=Macao streets empty after casinos shut to fight outbreak|publisher=Associated Press |date=11 July 2022|access-date=28 November 2022 }} After nine consecutive days of no local cases and over 14 rounds of mandatory mass testing, Macau reopened in what the city's government called a "consolidation period".{{cite web | url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/macao-eases-covid19-restrictions-intl-hnk/index.html | title=China's gambling hub Macao to ease Covid-19 restrictions | website=CNN | date=August 2022 }}

In December 2022, in line with mainland China's easing of its zero-COVID policy, Macau eased its testing and quarantine policies.{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3203556/macau-eases-covid-19-rules-allows-home-quarantine-arrivals-including-those-hong-kong|title=Macau eases Covid-19 rules, allows home quarantine for arrivals, including those from Hong Kong|website=South China Morning Post|date=16 December 2022 }}

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Montserrat#Preventive measures}}

The British territory and Caribbean island of Montserrat used a Zero-COVID strategy, using testing and quarantine on inbound travelers to prevent localized outbreaks. It had suffered just 175 cases and two deaths as of April 2022.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/montserrat/|title = Montserrat COVID – Coronavirus Statistics – Worldometer}} From 31 December 2021, Montserrat suffered its first major outbreak, with 67 locally transmitted infections and one death.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.ms/2022/02/08/montserrat-records-second-covid-19-related-death/|title=MONTSERRAT RECORDS SECOND COVID-19 RELATED DEATH|date=8 February 2022|website=Government of Montserrat}} On 1 March 2022, the ministry of health declared the outbreak to be over, having gone 31 days without a locally transmitted case.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.ms/2022/03/01/31445/|title=COVID-19 Outbreak Over — Ministry of Health Remains Vigilant|date=1 March 2022|website=Government of Montserrat}} In October 2022, Montserrat ended measures.{{cite web | url=https://www.gov.ms/2022/10/02/testing-on-arrival-discontinued/ | title=Testing on Arrival Discontinued | date=2 October 2022 }}

{{main article|New Zealand government response to the COVID-19 pandemic}}

File:Emergency Mobile Alert NZ, COVID-19, 25 March 2020.jpg sent at 18:30 on 25 March 2020, informing of the imminent move to Alert Level 4.]]

New Zealand reported its first case of COVID-19 on 28 February 2020.{{Cite news|last1=Cooke|first1=Henry|last2=Chumko|first2=Andre|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/119899280/ministry-of-health-gives-latest-update-on-novel-coronavirus|title=Coronavirus: First case of virus in New Zealand|work=Stuff|access-date=28 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228171221/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/119899280/ministry-of-health-gives-latest-update-on-novel-coronavirus|archive-date=28 February 2020|url-status=live}} From 19 March, entry into New Zealand was limited to citizens and residents,{{cite news |last1=Walls |first1=Jason |title=Coronavirus: NZ shutting borders to everyone except citizens, residents – PM Jacinda Ardern |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12318284 |access-date=19 March 2020 |work=The New Zealand Herald |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200319073904/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12318284 |archive-date=19 March 2020 |url-status=live }} and the country began quarantining new arrivals in converted hotels on 10 April.{{cite journal |journal=The Lancet Public Health |doi=10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30225-5 |date=13 October 2020 |title=COVID-19 in New Zealand and the impact of the national response: a descriptive epidemiological study |volume=5 |issue=11 |pages=E612–E623 |first1=Sarah |last1=Jefferies |first2=Nigel |last2=French |first3=Charlotte |last3=Gilkison |first4=Giles |last4=Graham |first5=Virginia |last5=Hope |first6=Jonathan |last6=Marshall |first7=Caroline |last7=McElnay |first8=Andrea |last8=McNeill |first9=Petra |last9=Muellner |first10=Shevaun |last10=Paine |first11=Namrata |last11=Prasad |first12=Julia |last12=Scott |first13=Jillian |last13=Sherwood |first14=Liang |last14=Yang |first15=Patricia |last15=Priest

|pmid=33065023 |pmc=7553903 }}

On 21 March, a four-tier alert level system was introduced, and most of the country was placed under lockdown from 25 March.{{Cite news|last=Cheng|first=Derek|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12318673|title=Coronavirus: PM Jacinda Ardern outlines NZ's new alert system, over-70s should stay at home|date=20 March 2020|work=The New Zealand Herald|access-date=21 March 2020|issn=1170-0777|archive-date=21 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321113000/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12318673|url-status=live}} Due to the success of the elimination strategy, restrictions were progressively lifted between 28 April and 8 June, when the country moved to the lowest alert level, and the last restrictions (other than quarantine for travelers) were removed.{{cite journal |journal=Social Sciences & Humanities Open |title=Fighting COVID-19 with the team of 5 million: Aotearoa New Zealand government communication during the 2020 lockdown |doi=10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100209 |date=20 September 2021 |volume=4 |issue=1 |first1=Alex |last1=Beattie |first2=Rebecca |last2=Priestley |page=100209 |pmid=34585139|pmc=8460577 }}{{cite news |last1=Sachdeva |first1=Sam |title=Ardern: NZ to leave lockdown in a week |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/04/20/1136611/ardern-nz-to-leave-lockdown-in-a-week |access-date=20 April 2020 |work=Newsroom |date=20 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420044138/https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/04/20/1136611/ardern-nz-to-leave-lockdown-in-a-week |archive-date=20 April 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300009818/coronavirus-new-zealand-will-start-to-move-to-level-2-on-thursday|title=Coronavirus: New Zealand will start to move to level 2 on Thursday|work=Stuff|date=11 May 2020|access-date=11 May 2020|first=Henry|last=Cooke|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511044940/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300009818/coronavirus-new-zealand-will-start-to-move-to-level-2-on-thursday|archive-date=11 May 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Cheng |first1=Derek |title=Live: Mass gatherings to increase to 100 max from noon Friday |url=https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/live-mass-gatherings-to-increase-to-100-max-from-noon-friday/ |access-date=25 May 2020 |work=Newstalk ZB |date=25 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525044836/https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/news/national/jacinda-ardern-mass-gatherings-to-increase-to-100-max-from-noon-friday/ |archive-date=25 May 2020}}{{cite news |title=Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reveals move to level 1 from midnight |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/418524/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-reveals-move-to-level-1-from-midnight |access-date=8 June 2020 |work=Radio New Zealand |date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608035311/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/418524/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-reveals-move-to-level-1-from-midnight |archive-date=8 June 2020}}

After the lifting of restrictions, New Zealand went for 102 days without any community transmission.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/11/new-zealand-records-first-new-covid-19-cases-in-102-days |first=Charlotte |last=Graham-McLay |date=11 August 2020 |title=New Zealand records first new local Covid-19 cases in 102 days |work=The Guardian |access-date=3 January 2022 |archive-date=3 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103030818/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/11/new-zealand-records-first-new-covid-19-cases-in-102-days |url-status=live }} On 11 August 2020, four members of a single family in Auckland tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, prompting a city-wide lockdown, and lesser restrictions throughout New Zealand. Additional cases related to this cluster of infections were identified over the following weeks. On 21 September, after a week without any new cases of community transmission, restrictions were dropped to the lowest level outside of Auckland. Restrictions in Auckland were eased somewhat two days later,{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/21/relief-as-much-of-new-zealand-eases-out-of-coronavirus-restrictions |title=Relief as much of New Zealand eases out of coronavirus restrictions |work=The Guardian |date=21 September 2020 |first=Charlotte |last=Graham-McLay |accessdate=2 January 2022 |archive-date=3 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103032729/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/21/relief-as-much-of-new-zealand-eases-out-of-coronavirus-restrictions |url-status=live }} and moved to the lowest level on 7 October.{{cite news |title=New Zealand Stamps Out the Virus. For a Second Time. |first=Livia |last=Albeck-Ripka |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/world/australia/new-zealand-coronavirus.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=2 January 2022 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229151839/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/world/australia/new-zealand-coronavirus.html |url-status=live }}

Additional small outbreaks led to temporary restrictions in parts of New Zealand in February, March, and June 2021.{{cite web |url=https://covid19.govt.nz/about-our-covid-19-response/history-of-the-covid-19-alert-system/ |title=History of the COVID-19 Alert System |publisher=New Zealand Government |accessdate=2 January 2022 |archive-date=30 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230230501/https://covid19.govt.nz/about-our-covid-19-response/history-of-the-covid-19-alert-system/ |url-status=live }}

The country moved to a nationwide lockdown on 17 August 2021, after the detection of one new local case outside of quarantine in Auckland.{{cite news|title=Covid-19 community case: Nationwide level 4 lockdown |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/449376/covid-19-community-case-nationwide-level-4-lockdown |work=Radio New Zealand |access-date=17 August 2021 |date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817114444/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/449376/covid-19-community-case-nationwide-level-4-lockdown|archive-date=17 August 2021|url-status=live}} Over the following weeks, Auckland remained under lockdown as cases rose, while most of the rest of the country progressively eased restrictions. On 4 October 2021, the government of New Zealand announced that it was transitioning away from its zero-COVID strategy, arguing that the Delta variant made elimination infeasible.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/world/australia/new-zealand-covid-zero.html |title=Battling Delta, New Zealand Abandons Its Zero-Covid Ambitions |date=4 October 2021 |first=Natasha |last=Frost |work=The New York Times |accessdate=2 January 2022 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209140904/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/world/australia/new-zealand-covid-zero.html |url-status=live }}

North Korea also reportedly follows an "elimination strategy".{{Cite news|date=27 November 2021|title=Kim Jong Un may have pulled off an astounding COVID-19 feat. But there's a looming threat to his power|language=en-AU|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-28/covid-kim-jong-un-and-the-korean-border/100649842|access-date=24 January 2022}}{{Excerpt|COVID-19_pandemic_in_North_Korea|January–February 2020|paragraphs=1-4}}{{Excerpt|COVID-19_pandemic_in_North_Korea|July–December 2020|paragraphs=2}}

{{Excerpt|COVID-19_pandemic_in_North_Korea|First confirmed cases: May–June 2022|paragraphs=1}}

{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland|British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic}}

Scotland, led by its devolved government, pursued an "elimination" COVID-19 strategy starting from April 2020.{{Cite journal|last1=Sridhar|first1=Devi|last2=Chen|first2=Adriel|date=6 July 2020|title=Why Scotland's slow and steady approach to covid-19 is working|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m2669%20%20%20%20%20%20%20|journal=BMJ|volume=370|pages=m2669|doi=10.1136/bmj.m2669|issn=1756-1833|pmid=32631899|s2cid=220347771|doi-access=free}} The Scottish government's approach diverged with that of the central British government in April 2020, after a UK-wide lockdown began being lifted. Scotland pursued a slower approach to lifting the lockdown than other nations of the UK, and expanded a "test and trace" system. Although Northern Ireland also pursued the strategy{{Cite journal|last=Torjesen|first=Ingrid|date=3 August 2020|title=Covid-19: Should the UK be aiming for elimination?|url=https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3071.full|journal=The BMJ|volume=370|pages=m3071|doi=10.1136/bmj.m3071|pmid=32747404|s2cid=220922348|doi-access=free}} and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon advocated for the approach to be adopted by the whole of the UK, the central British government pursued a different mitigation strategy that applied to England, with commentators noting that this combined with an open Anglo-Scottish border could undermine Scotland's attempts at elimination.{{Cite news|last=Landler|first=Mark|date=10 July 2020|title=In Tackling Coronavirus, Scotland Asserts Its Separateness From England|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/world/europe/coroanvirus-scotland-england.html|access-date=11 January 2022|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|title=Scotland could eliminate the coronavirus – if it weren't for England|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2247462-scotland-could-eliminate-the-coronavirus-if-it-werent-for-england/|access-date=11 January 2022|website=New Scientist}}

{{main|2020–21 Singapore circuit breaker measures}}

File:Automate SafeEntry Self Check-in gates at Paya Lebar Square.jpg Square mall implemented to facilitate contact tracing.]]

Singapore recorded its first COVID-19 case on 23 January 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/wuhan-virus-pneumonia-singapore-confirms-first-case-786446|title=Singapore confirms first case of Wuhan virus|website=CNA}} With that, many Singaporeans had purchased and worn masks when not at home; practiced social distancing and on 7 February 2020, Singapore raised the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level from Yellow to Orange in response to additional local cases of uncertain origin.{{cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/coronavirus-outbreak-alert-upped-to-orange-as-more-cases-surface-with-no-known-links-more|title=Coronavirus: Singapore ups outbreak alert to orange as more cases surface with no known links; more measures in force|date=7 February 2020|website=The Straits Times}} On 3 April 2020, a stringent set of preventive measures collectively called the "circuit breaker lockdown" was announced.{{cite web |url= https://www.gov.sg/article/ending-circuit-breaker-phased-approach-to-resuming-activities-safely |title=Ending circuit breaker: phased approach to resuming activities safely |author= |date=28 May 2020 |website=gov.sg |access-date=14 May 2021 }} Stay-at-home order and cordon sanitaire were implemented as a preventive measure by the Government of Singapore in response on 7 April 2020. The measures were brought into legal effect by the Minister for Health with the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020, published on 7 April 2020.{{cite web|title=COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020|url=https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL-Supp/S254-2020/Published/20200407?DocDate=20200407|date=7 April 2020|website=Singapore Statutes Online|access-date=11 June 2020}}

The country introduced what was considered one of the world's largest and best-organised epidemic control programmes.{{cite news |last=Barron |first=Laignee |date=13 March 2020 |title=What We Can Learn From Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong About Handling Coronavirus |url=https://time.com/5802293/coronavirus-covid19-singapore-hong-kong-taiwan/ |magazine=Time |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324174105/https://time.com/5802293/coronavirus-covid19-singapore-hong-kong-taiwan/ |archive-date=24 March 2020 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Geddie |first1=John |last2=Aravindan |first2=Aradhana |date=17 September 2020 |title=Why is Singapore's COVID-19 death rate the world's lowest |work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-singapore-explaine/explainer-why-singapores-covid-19-death-rate-is-the-worlds-lowest-idUSKBN2680TH |access-date=17 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003221123/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-singapore-explaine/explainer-why-singapores-covid-19-death-rate-is-the-worlds-lowest-idUSKBN2680TH |archive-date=3 October 2020 |url-status=live}} The "Control Order" implemented various measures such as; mass testing the population for the virus, isolating any infected people as well as introducing contact tracing apps and strictly quarantining those they had close contact with those infected. All non-essential workplaces closed, with essential workplaces remaining open. All schools transitioned to home-based learning. All food establishments were only allowed to offer take-away, drive-thru and delivery of food. Non-essential advertising at shopping centres are not allowed to be shown or advertised and only advertising from essential service offers and safe management measures such as mask wearing and social distancing are allowed.{{cite web|title=PM Lee Hsien Loong on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore on 3 April 2020|url=https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/PM-Lee-Hsien-Loong-on-the-COVID19-situation-in-Singapore-on-3-April-2020|date=3 April 2020|website=PMO|access-date=4 April 2020}}

These measures helped to prevent these lockdowns after the end of the circuit breaker lockdown measures in June 2020 with reopening being staggered in different steps all the way until April 2021.{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Heather |last2=Marsh |first2=Sarah |title=PM considers imposing Covid 'circuit break' across England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/18/circuit-break-plans-for-england-to-prevent-new-covid-lockdown |website=The Guardian |access-date=17 December 2021 |date=18 September 2020 |quote=The notion of a "circuit breaker" – or partial lockdown – was introduced in April in Singapore by the prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong. It saw schools and all but essential workplaces closed, as well as restrictions on restaurants and other public places.}}{{cite news |title='Circuit breaker' measures needed to prevent Omicron from overwhelming ICUs, science table says |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/covid-19-ontario-dec-16-2021-science-table-modelling-omicron-1.6287900 |website=cbc.ca |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=17 December 2021 |date=16 December 2021}} The high transmissibility of the Delta and Omicron variants challenged Singapore's Zero-COVID approach, and the country phased it out after vaccinating the majority of its population in October 2021.{{Cite news|last=Aravindan|first=Aradhana|date=22 October 2021|title=Analysis: Vaccinated Singapore shows zero-COVID countries cost of reopening|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vaccinated-singapore-shows-zero-covid-countries-cost-reopening-2021-10-22/|access-date=6 January 2022}}

{{main|K-Quarantine}}

File:Coronavirus Check by Drive-Through.jpg

The first case in South Korea was announced on 20 January 2020.{{cite web |script-title=ko:신종 코로나바이러스 한국인 첫환자 확인 |url=https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2020/01/80017/ |website=MK |date=24 January 2020 |publisher=서진우 |access-date=24 January 2020 |language=ko |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124134926/https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/view/2020/01/80017/ |archive-date=24 January 2020 |url-status=live}} On 4 February 2020, in order to help prevent spread of the disease, South Korea began denying entry to foreigners traveling from China.{{cite web |first=Rosyn |last=Park |url=http://m.tbs.seoul.kr/efm/newsView.do?typ_800=N&idx_800=2383586&seq_800= |title=S. Korea Bars Foreigners Traveling from Hubei Province |date=4 February 2020 |website=TBS |location=Seoul |access-date=15 August 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309151058/http://m.tbs.seoul.kr/efm/newsView.do?typ_800=N&idx_800=2383586 |archive-date=9 March 2020 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-28/as-virus-spreads-koreans-blame-refusal-to-stop-chinese-visitors |title=As Virus Spreads, Koreans Blame Refusal to Stop Chinese Visitors |publisher=Bloomberg |date=28 February 2020 |access-date=6 April 2020}} Various other measures have been taken: mass testing the population, isolating infected people, and trace and quarantine of those they had contact with.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51836898 |title=Coronavirus in South Korea: How 'trace, test and treat' may be saving lives |first=Laura |last=Bicker |work=BBC |date=12 March 2020 |access-date=20 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320190601/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-51836898 |archive-date=20 March 2020 |url-status=live}} The rapid and extensive testing undertaken by South Korea has been judged successful in limiting the spread of the outbreak, without using drastic measures.{{cite journal |journal=Science |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/coronavirus-cases-have-dropped-sharply-south-korea-whats-secret-its-success |title=Coronavirus cases have dropped sharply in South Korea. What's the secret to its success? |first=Dennis |last=Normile |date=17 March 2020 |doi=10.1126/science.abb7566 |s2cid=216427938 |access-date=20 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320205413/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/coronavirus-cases-have-dropped-sharply-south-korea-whats-secret-its-success |archive-date=20 March 2020 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/south-korea-coronavirus-lessons-quick-easy-tests-monitoring-200319011438619.html |title=South Korea's coronavirus lessons: Quick, easy tests; monitoring |first=Kelly |last=Kasulis |date=19 March 2020 |work=Al Jazeera |access-date=20 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320144222/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/south-korea-coronavirus-lessons-quick-easy-tests-monitoring-200319011438619.html |archive-date=20 March 2020 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/south-korea-rapid-intrusive-measures-covid-19 |title=South Korea took rapid, intrusive measures against Covid-19 – and they worked |first1=Alexis |last1=Dudden |first2=Andrew |last2=Marks |date=20 March 2020 |work=The Guardian |access-date=20 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320143716/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/20/south-korea-rapid-intrusive-measures-covid-19 |archive-date=20 March 2020 |url-status=live}} There was no general lockdown of businesses in South Korea, with supermarkets and other retailers remaining open. However, schools, universities, cinemas, and gyms were closed soon after the outbreaks, with schools and universities having online classes.{{cite web|title=How Korea fought COVID-19 Covid and when will there be a treatment for coronavirus|url=https://www.eib.org/en/stories/korea-covid|access-date=24 August 2020|website=European Investment Bank}}

The government is providing citizens with information in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese on how to not become infected and how to prevent spreading the disease as part of its "K-Quarantine" measures. This includes information on cough etiquette, when and how to wear a face mask, and the importance of physical distancing and staying at home. The South Korean government has also been sending daily emergency notifications, detailing information on locations with reported infections and other status updates related to the pandemic.{{Cite journal|last=Zastrow|first=Mark|date=18 March 2020|title=South Korea is reporting intimate details of COVID-19 cases: has it helped?|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00740-y|journal=Nature|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-00740-y|pmid=32203363|s2cid=214630521|url-access=subscription}} Infected South Koreans are required to go into isolation in government shelters. Their phones and credit card data are used to trace their prior movements and find their contacts. People who are determined to have been near the infected individual receive phone alerts with information about their prior movements.{{cite news|title=The Virus Can Be Stopped, but Only With Harsh Steps, Experts Say|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/health/coronavirus-restrictions-us.html|website=The New York Times|date=23 March 2020|access-date=23 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324001725/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/22/health/coronavirus-restrictions-us.html|archive-date=24 March 2020|url-status=live}}

{{Main|COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan}}

File:National Taiwan Normal University Coronavirus Prevention Efforts 20200410 105311.jpg]]

Due to its extensive cultural and economic exchanges with mainland China, Taiwan was initially expected to be at high risk of developing a large-scale outbreak of COVID-19.{{cite journal |title=Learning from the past: Taiwan's responses to COVID-19 versus SARS |doi=10.1016/j.ijid.2021.06.002 |date=5 June 2021 |journal=International Journal of Infectious Diseases |pmid=34098099 |first1=Muh-Yong |last1=Yen |first2=Yung-Feng |last2=Yen |first3=Shey-Ying |last3=Chen |first4=Ting-I |last4=Lee |first5=Kuan-Han |last5=Huang |first6=Ta-Chien |last6=Chan |first7=Tsung-Hua |last7=Tung |first8=Le-Yin |last8=Hsu|author9-link=Chiu Tai-yuan |first9=Tai-Yuan |last9=Chiu |first10=Po-Ren |last10=Hsueh |first11=Chwan-Chuen |last11=Kinge|volume=110 |pages=469–478 |pmc=8178059 }}{{cite journal |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |title=Response to COVID-19 in Taiwan: Big Data Analytics, New Technology, and Proactive Testing |doi=10.1001/jama.2020.3151 |volume=323 |issue=14 |pages=1341–1342 |date=3 March 2020 |first1=C. Jason |last1=Wang |first2=Chun Y. |last2=Ng |first3=Robert H. |last3=Brook|pmid=32125371 |s2cid=211831388 |doi-access=free }}

Immediately after mainland China notified the WHO of a pneumonia cluster in Wuhan on 31 December 2019, Taiwanese officials began screening passengers arriving from Wuhan for fever and pneumonia. This screening was subsequently broadened to all passengers with respiratory symptoms who had recently visited Wuhan. Beginning in early February 2020, all passengers arriving from mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau were required to quarantine at home for 14 days after arrival in Taiwan. Mobile phone data was used to monitor compliance with quarantine requirements.

Public places such as schools, restaurants and offices in Taiwan were required to monitor body temperature of visitors and provide hand sanitizer.{{cite journal |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2020.305720 |title=Determinants of Taiwan's Early Containment of COVID-19 Incidence |journal=American Journal of Public Health |first1=Wen-Ta |last1=Chiu |first2=Ronald P. |last2=Laporte |first3=Jonathan |last3=Wu |date=10 June 2020|volume=110 |issue=7 |pages=943–944 |pmc=7287555 }} Mask-wearing was encouraged, and on 24 January, an export ban and price controls were placed on surgical masks and other types of personal protective equipment.

On 20 March 2020, Taiwan initiated 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals, and began converting commercial hotels into quarantine facilities.{{cite news |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/taiwan-closes-borders-in-preparation-for-possible-second-wave-of-the-coronavirus/ |first=Nick |last=Aspinwall |date=20 March 2020 |title=Taiwan Closes Borders in Preparation for Possible 'Second Wave' of the Coronavirus |publisher=The Diplomat |accessdate=8 January 2022}} In early April, Taiwanese public health officials announced social distancing measures, and mandated mask use in public transport.

The first known case of COVID-19 in Taiwan was identified on 21 January 2020. On 31 January, approximately 3,000 passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship went ashore in Taiwan. Five days later, it was recognized that there was an outbreak on the ship. Taiwanese public health authorities used mobile phone data and other contact tracing measures to identify these passengers and their close contacts for testing and quarantine.{{cite journal |title=Containing COVID-19 Among 627,386 Persons in Contact With the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Passengers Who Disembarked in Taiwan: Big Data Analytics |journal=Journal of Medical Internet Research |date=22 May 2020 |doi=10.2196/19540 |pmid=32353827 |first1=Chi-Mai |last1=Chen |first2=Hong-Wei |last2=Jyan |first3=Shih-Chieh |last3=Chien |first4=Hsiao-Hsuan |last4=Jen |first5=Chen-Yang |last5=Hsu |first6=Po-Chang |last6=Lee |first7=Chun-Fu |last7=Lee |first8=Yi-Ting |last8=Yang |first9=Meng-Yu |last9=Chen |first10=Li-Sheng |last10=Chen |first11=Hsiu-Hsi |last11=Chen |first12=Chang-Chuan |last12=Chan|volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=e19540 |pmc=7202311 |doi-access=free }} No cases related to these passengers were identified in Taiwan.

Taiwan maintained near-zero viral prevalence throughout 2020, totaling just 56 known locally transmitted cases (out of a population of 23.6 million) through 31 December 2020.

Taiwan experienced its largest outbreak from April to August 2021, initially caused by violations of COVID-19 quarantine rules by international flight crews.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-evacuates-hotel-sterilise-it-after-rare-covid-outbreak-2021-04-29/|title=Taiwan evacuates hotel to sterilise it after rare COVID outbreak|work=Reuters|date=29 April 2021|access-date=18 May 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3132915/taiwan-send-china-airlines-pilots-quarantine-bid-stop-covid-19|title=Taiwan to send China Airlines pilots into quarantine in bid to stop Covid-19 outbreak|agency=Reuters|via=South China Morning Post|date=10 May 2021|access-date=18 May 2021}} On 15 May 2021, Taiwan identified more than 100 daily cases for the first time since the start of the pandemic.{{cite news |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202112310012 |publisher=Focus Taiwan |title=Taiwan ends 2021 with record number of daily imported COVID-19 cases |date=31 December 2021 |accessdate=8 January 2022}} The outbreak was brought to an end on 25 August 2021, when Taiwan recorded no new locally transmitted cases for the first time since May 2021.{{cite news |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-reports-no-new-domestic-covid-19-cases-first-time-since-may-9-2021-08-25/ |date=25 August 2021 |title=Taiwan reports no new domestic COVID-19 cases, first time since May 9 |accessdate=8 January 2022}}

In April 2022, the government departed from Zero-COVID, launching a revised strategy—billed as the "new Taiwanese model"—that no longer focuses on total suppression, but rather shifts to mitigating the effects of the pandemic. Premier Su Tseng-chang was cited as saying the new model is not the same as "living with COVID-19", as the virus would not be allowed to spread unchecked, but active prevention of the virus's spread would be balanced with allowing people to live normal lives and a stable reopening of the economy.{{cite web |title=Taiwan launches new pandemic response strategy |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/04/08/2003776214 |website=Taipei Times |date=8 April 2022 |access-date=8 May 2022}} As of early May 2022, the government has maintained the policy amidst a wave of infections that crossed 30,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since the pandemic began, and that Health minister Chen Shih-chung said was on track to reach up to 100,000 new infections daily.{{cite magazine |title=Taiwan Is Abandoning Its Zero-COVID Strategy in Favor of a 'New Model' of Coronavirus Containment |url=https://time.com/6174132/taiwan-covid-strategy/ |magazine=TIME |access-date=8 May 2022 }} On 7 May 2022, Taiwan reported 46,377 new cases, overtaking the United States as the highest daily new case region.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/taiwan/|title=Taiwan COVID - Coronavirus Statistics - Worldometer|website=www.worldometers.info}}

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Timor-Leste}}

Due to its fragile healthcare system, Timor-Leste would have been deeply affected by a widespread COVID-19 outbreak. The Timor-Leste government implemented a strategy to keep the virus out by closing the border with Indonesia, and only allowing entry of citizens by repatriation flights.{{cite web | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/29/how-tiny-timor-leste-kept-the-coronavirus-at-bay | title=How tiny Timor-Leste kept the coronavirus at bay }} This strategy was effective initially. During 2020, the country reported 44 infections and zero fatalities, and the country was able to function normally, with no lockdowns and largely maskless crowds celebrating Christmas in 2020. However, new variants caused a spike beginning in March 2021, prompting mask mandates and some restrictions on business operations.{{cite web | url=https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/timor-leste/ | title=Timor-Leste COVID – Coronavirus Statistics – Worldometer }} Timorese authorities were able to contain this outbreak by November 2021, and on 30 November, the state of emergency ended. Business restrictions, as well as the outdoor mask mandate, were lifted.{{cite web | url=https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2021/11/timor-leste-authorities-end-state-of-emergency-as-of-nov-30-update-45 | title=Timor-Leste: Authorities end state of emergency as of Nov. 30 /Update 45 }} The indoor mask mandate was lifted on 7 January 2022, and as of March 2022, the country maintained an elimination strategy to keep out all infections.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

{{main|COVID-19 pandemic in Tonga}}

Tonga has followed a Zero-COVID policy, but more than a year and a half into the pandemic, on 29 October 2021, the first COVID-19 case—a seasonal worker who returned from New Zealand and entered quarantine—was confirmed. The country's COVID-19 policy caused complications with international aid following the Hunga Tonga volcano eruption in 2022.{{cite news |last1=Fildes |first1=Nic |title=Tonga volcano relief effort complicated by 'Covid-free' policy |url=https://www.ft.com/content/352efc20-e176-49f8-944d-e7c8f18b98b1 |access-date=18 January 2022 |work=Financial Times |date=18 January 2022}} To keep the country virus-free, an Australian aid flight had to return to base after detecting a case midflight, while HMAS Adelaide (L01) made plans to stay at sea after 23 members of her crew tested positive for COVID-19.{{cite news |title=COVID cases reported on Australian aid vessel sailing to virus-free Tonga |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/covid-cases-reported-australian-aid-vessel-sailing-virus-free-tonga-2022-01-25/ |work=Reuters |date=25 January 2022 |language=en}}

{{main|Vietnamese government response to the COVID-19 pandemic}}

File:Vietnam's shopping coupon used during COVID-19.jpg

The virus was first confirmed to have spread to Vietnam on 23 January 2020, when two Chinese people in Ho Chi Minh City tested positive for the virus.{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/479542-vietnam-reports-first-coronavirus-cases |title= Vietnam reports first coronavirus cases |last=Coleman |first=Justine |date=23 January 2020 |website=The Hill |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218074232/https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/public-global-health/479542-vietnam-reports-first-coronavirus-cases |archive-date=18 February 2020 |access-date=18 February 2020}}{{Cite news|last=Lê|first=Phương|date=23 January 2020|title=Hai người viêm phổi Vũ Hán cách ly tại Bệnh viện Chợ Rẫy|work=VnExpress|url=https://vnexpress.net/dich-viem-phoi-corona/hai-nguoi-viem-phoi-vu-han-cach-ly-tai-benh-vien-cho-ray-4046299.html}} In response the government issued a diagnostic and management guidelines for COVID-19, providing instructions on contact tracing and 14-day isolation.{{Cite journal|last=Le|first=Van Tan|date=24 February 2021|title=COVID-19 control in Vietnam|journal=Nature Immunology|volume=22|issue=261|page=261|doi=10.1038/s41590-021-00882-9|pmid=33627879|doi-access=free}} Health authorities began monitoring body temperatures at border gates and started detection and contact tracing, with orders for the mandatory isolation of infected people and anyone they had come into contact with.{{cite news|date=27 May 2020|title=With zero pandemic deaths, Vietnam sets the standard for COVID-19 fight|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-with-zero-pandemic-deaths-vietnam-sets-the-standard-for-covid-1/|work=The Globe and Mail}}

In 2020, Vietnam was cited by global media as having one of the best-organized epidemic control programs in the world,{{Cite news|last1=Reed|first1=John|last2=Pham|first2=Hai Chung|date=24 March 2020|title=Vietnam's coronavirus offensive wins praise for low-cost model|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/0cc3c956-6cb2-11ea-89df-41bea055720b}}{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-13/coronavirus-vietnam-no-deaths-success-in-south-east-asia/12237314 |title=How has Vietnam, a developing nation in South-East Asia, done so well to combat coronavirus? |last1=Walden |first1=Max |date=13 May 2020 |work=ABC News |access-date=30 July 2020}}{{cite web|title=Covid Performance Index|url=https://interactives.lowyinstitute.org/features/covid-performance/|access-date=5 March 2021|website=Lowy Institute}} along the lines of other highlights such as Taiwan and South Korea.{{cite news|last1=Humphrey|first1=Chris|last2=Pham|first2=Bac|date=14 April 2020|title=Vietnam's response to coronavirus crisis earns praise from WHO|work=Seven News|url=https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/vietnam-praised-for-no-coronavirus-deaths-c-973119|access-date=17 April 2020}} This success has been attributed to several factors, including a well-developed public health system, a decisive central government, and a proactive containment strategy based on comprehensive testing, tracing, and quarantining.{{cite journal|date=5 March 2021|title=Emerging COVID-19 success story: Vietnam's commitment to containment|url=https://ourworldindata.org/covid-exemplar-vietnam|journal=Our World in Data |last1=Authors |first1=Guest |last2=Roser |first2=Max }} However, instead of relying on medicine and technology, the Vietnamese state security apparatus has adopted a widespread public surveillance system along with a public well-respected military force.{{Cite news|date=16 April 2020|title=How Vietnam is winning its 'war' on coronavirus|work=Deutsche Welle|url=https://www.dw.com/en/how-vietnam-is-winning-its-war-on-coronavirus/a-52929967}}{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/16/835748673/in-vietnam-there-have-been-fewer-than-300-covid-19-cases-and-no-deaths-heres-why|title=In Vietnam, There Have Been Fewer Than 300 COVID-19 Cases And No Deaths. Here's Why|author=Michael Sullivan|date=16 April 2020|publisher=NPR|access-date=3 May 2020}}

Starting in April 2021, Vietnam experienced its largest outbreak to date, with over 1.2 million infections recorded by November.{{cite web|last=|title=Cập nhật số ca nhiễm Covid-19 hôm nay mới nhất trên VnExpress|url=https://vnexpress.net/covid-19/covid-19-viet-nam|access-date=5 December 2021|website=VnExpress|language=vi}} This led to two of its largest cities (Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi) and around a third of the country's population coming under some form of lockdown by late July.{{cite web|title=Vietnam locks down capital Hanoi as COVID-19 infections soar|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/24/vietnam-locks-down-capital-hanoi-as-covid-19-infections-soar|access-date=24 July 2021|website=www.aljazeera.com}} A degree of complacency after successes in previous outbreaks, and infections originating from foreign workers were all considered to have contributed to the outbreak. In response, government-mandated quarantine for foreign arrivals and close contacts to confirmed cases was extended to 21 days, and accompanying safety measures also tightened up.{{Cite news|author1=Sen Nguyen|author2=Jitsiree Thongnoi|date=13 May 2021|title=Vaccination drives stutter as new Covid-19 waves hit Vietnam, Thailand|work=South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3133254/vaccination-drives-stutter-new-covid-19-waves-hit}}

In September 2021, Vietnam abandoned its zero-COVID strategy, after a three-month lockdown of Ho Chi Minh City caused major economic disruption in the city and failed to contain the outbreak. The country shifted to a phased reopening and more flexible approach while expanding its vaccination programme.{{Cite news|last=Reed|first=John|date=1 October 2021|title=Vietnam abandons zero-Covid strategy after record drop in GDP|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/37f7f400-20aa-4e52-8f3b-f9359fa73fe8|access-date=6 January 2022}}{{Cite news|date=3 September 2021|title=Ho Chi Minh City could lift lockdown, end 'zero COVID-19' policy|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/vietnams-biggest-city-proposes-sept-15-economic-restart-after-lockdown-2021-09-03/|access-date=6 January 2022}}

Proponents of the zero-COVID strategy argued that successful execution reduced the number of nationwide lockdowns needed,{{Cite web|date=8 January 2021|title=Devi Sridhar: The UK needs a zero-Covid strategy to prevent endless lockdowns|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/2021/01/devi-sridhar-uk-needs-zero-covid-strategy-prevent-endless-lockdowns|access-date=11 January 2022|website=New Statesman}} since the main goal was focused on the elimination of the virus. When the virus was eliminated, people would be at ease given that COVID-19 caused a lot of health impacts. As such, healthcare and economic costs were lower under a zero-COVID strategy because the elimination of the virus allowed new outbreaks to be easily monitored and curtailed, and that there was less economic disruption since only certain areas were affected, which could be easily monitored.{{Citation |last1=Grafton |first1=R. Quentin |title=Health and Economic Effects of COVID-19 control in Australia: Modelling and quantifying the payoffs of 'hard' versus 'soft' lockdown |date=2 September 2020 |url=http://medrxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2020.08.31.20185587 |language=en |doi=10.1101/2020.08.31.20185587 |access-date=22 July 2022 |last2=Parslow |first2=John |last3=Kompas |first3=Tom |last4=Glass |first4=Kathryn |last5=Banks |first5=Emily |last6=Lokuge |first6=Kamalini|s2cid=221406941 }}{{cite journal|last1=Tang|first1=Jin-Ling|last2=Abbasi|first2=Kamran|date=2 December 2021|title=What can the world learn from China's response to covid-19?|journal=The BMJ|volume=375|pages=n2806|doi=10.1136/bmj.n2806|pmid=34853017|s2cid=244775638|pmc=9394586}} This resulted in a situation that was less costly to society,{{cite news|last=Lau|first=Jack|date=2 November 2021|title=Zero Covid still less costly than living with it, China's top expert Zhong Nanshan says|newspaper=South China Morning Post|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3154568/zero-covid-still-less-costly-living-it-chinas-top-expert-zhong|accessdate=6 January 2022}} that it reduced dependence on pharmaceutical interventions such as vaccines,{{Cite web|author=Stamatov, Petar|date=4 January 2022|title=Ще разобличи ли Омикрон лицемерието на властимащите по света?|url=https://www.eurochicago.com/2022/01/hypocrisy/|website=eurochicago.com|language=Bulgarian|accessdate=14 January 2022}} and that it increased quality of life and life expectancy as there would have been fewer citizens contracting COVID-19.{{Cite web|interviewer-last=Raychev |interviewer-first=Aleksandar|date=1 December 2021|title=Георги Маринов: Няма такова нещо като самоунищожаващ се вирус|url=https://bnr.bg/hristobotev/post/101565808/georgi-marinov|website=bnr.bg|language=Bulgarian|accessdate=8 January 2022}}

Chinese virologist Guan Yi had criticized the Chinese government's zero-COVID measures, telling Phoenix Hong Kong Channel that, if the government persisted with the policy for a handful of cases, the economy would have suffered. The implementation of the zero-COVID policy in China resulted in multiple business closures, citywide lockdowns, and stay-at-home notices in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This resulted in loss of revenue and production, leading to an economic contraction in the country. Guan had advocated for increased vaccination and research into the efficacy of homegrown vaccines against new variants, as the vaccines would prevent death and reduce the impact of COVID-19, which could enable people to swiftly recover without interruption from COVID-19.{{cite web|date=10 November 2021|title=Chinese Virus Expert Launches Scathing Attack on Covid Zero Push|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-10/chinese-virus-expert-launches-scathing-attack-on-covid-zero-push|access-date=7 January 2022|website=Bloomberg}}

Other opponents of the zero-COVID strategy argued that the strategy caused the economy to suffer,{{Cite web|date=5 January 2022|title=Focus – A closer look at China's strict 'zero-Covid' policy|url=https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20220105-a-closer-look-at-china-s-strict-zero-covid-policy|website=France 24}} that before vaccinations were common, elimination strategies lowered herd immunity,{{Cite news|date=9 October 2021|title=Asian countries are at last abandoning zero-covid strategies|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/10/09/asian-countries-are-at-last-abandoning-zero-covid-strategies|newspaper=The Economist}} that zero-COVID is not sustainable,{{Cite news|date=3 September 2021|title=Why has Australia switched tack on Covid zero?|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58406526}} and that newer variants such as the Omicron variant were so transmissible that the zero-COVID strategy was no longer feasible.{{Cite web|title=Atlantic Canada's vaunted COVID-Zero strategy no match for Omicron variant | Globalnews.ca|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8493760/atlantic-canada-covid-19-omicron-variant-strategy/|website=Global News}}

In May 2022, World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commented that the zero-COVID strategy was no longer considered sustainable based on "the behavior of the virus now" and future trends. The comment was suppressed on the Chinese Internet.{{cite web |last1=Gan |first1=Nectar |title=WHO chief censored on China's internet after calling zero-Covid unsustainable |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/11/china/who-china-zero-covid-unsustainable-intl-hnk/index.html |website=CNN|date=11 May 2022 }} The Lancet, mostly supportive of a zero-COVID strategy before the appearance of less severe but more transmissible variants, also published a news article detailing the problems in China's implementation.{{cite journal |last1=Yuan |first1=Shawn |title=Zero COVID in China: what next? |journal=The Lancet |date=May 2022 |volume=399 |issue=10338 |pages=1856–1857 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00873-X|pmid=35569453 |pmc=9098203 }}

All countries which pursued zero-COVID, such as Vietnam, Singapore, and Australia, later decided to discontinue it, citing increased vaccination rates and more transmissible variants. Singapore abandoned zero-COVID in August 2021 after the Delta variant started spreading there, Australia and Vietnam reopened their borders in early 2022, and China—the last major country to hold out on zero-COVID—abandoned its policy on December 7, 2022.

{{portal|COVID-19}}

• Baltic Bubble
• Endemic COVID-19
• Eradication of infectious diseases
• List of COVID-19 pandemic legislation
• Protective sequestration
• Use and development of software for COVID-19 pandemic mitigation

{{Notelist}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite journal | last1=Skegg | first1=David | author-link1=David Skegg | last2=Hill | first2=Philip C | title=Defining covid-19 elimination | journal=BMJ | date=15 July 2021 | volume=374 | issn=1756-1833 | doi=10.1136/bmj.n1794 | page=n1794 | pmid=34266880 | s2cid=235914974 | url=https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1794 | archive-date=2 January 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102074952/https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1794 | url-status=live | doi-access=free | url-access=subscription }}
• Cécile Philippe; Nicolas Marques (2021). [https://www.institutmolinari.org/2021/09/21/the-zero-covid-strategy-continues-to-protect-people-economies-and-freedoms-more-effectively/ The Zero Covid strategy protects people, economies and freedoms more effectively] – ([https://www.institutmolinari.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/zero-covid-whn-sept2021.pdf PDF]), Institut économique Molinari. ISBN 978-2-931091-08-1
• Lee A, Thornley S, Morris A J, Sundborn G. (September 2020). [https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3410.full Should countries aim for elimination in the covid-19 pandemic?] BMJ 2020; 370 :m3410 doi:10.1136/bmj.m3410
• Moon, Joshua and Chekar, Choon Key and Barberá, David and Davey, Gail and Gaisser, Sibylle and Gaisser, Tobias and Iwuji, Collins and Meseguer, Enrique and Ryan, James G and Hopkins, Michael M.,(17 September 2020). [https://ssrn.com/abstract=3694441 Optimising 'Test and Trace' Systems: Early Lessons From a Comparative Analysis of Six Countries] 22 Pages, Social Science Research Network
• Cam Bowie, Lowani, Lyme Road, (10 June 2021.). [https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.07.21258451 Modelling the effect of an improved trace and isolate system in the wake of a highly transmissible Covid-19 variant with potential vaccine escape]. medRxiv, BMJ Yale

{{refend}}

• [https://www.endcoronavirus.org/zero-covid EndCoronavirus.org] – List of "zero-COVID" advocacy groups

{{COVID-19 pandemic}}

Category:National responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Medical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Containment efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Infection-control measures

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in China

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam

Category:New Zealand government response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan

Category:COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland