Amid the coronavirus outbreak that has reached all corners of the world, Taiwan has emerged as a prime example of how to handle a pandemic. Despite its close proximity to China — only about 1,000 km from the COVID-19 epicentre Wuhan — Taiwan currently only has five fatalities and 306 cases of infection.

Early travel bans, social distancing, and the use of technology to track high-risk citizens have helped flatten the curve. While the government plays a big role in introducing and implementing these measures, it’s people’s willingness and full participation that make them effective.

Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang has spent years bridging these two sides. The self-described “conservative anarchist” is a civic hacker who, in 2016, was appointed as Taiwan’s youngest official in a top government position. She also happens to be the only transgender minister.

To prevent panic while providing useful information to the public, her ministry rolled out a real-time citywide alert of risky locations visited by the Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers in Taiwan. The ill-fated ship docked in Keelung City, near Taipei, with 2,694 passengers on January 31. Many of the passengers were found positive for the coronavirus.

To ward off face mask hoarding, Tang’s office adopted a tracking and rationing platform that allows citizens to see mask reserves at nearby pharmacies through over 100 interactive maps created by citizen developers. It also has a chatbot in the messaging app LINE that answers questions about where and how to buy masks. Read more via Vice