Although Singapore is vulnerability as a densely populated global hub, it has only 404 active coronavirus cases and two deaths to date. Emerging just in time for Chinese Lunar Year, the novel coronavirus could have proved catastrophic to the tiny city-state. Yet, despite the risk of hurting economic relations with its third biggest trading partner, by February 1 Singapore had already imposed travel restrictions on passengers from China. This contravened the WHO's advisory that travel bans were not necessary at that point.
Still, by mid-February Singapore had recorded over 80 COVID-19 cases, the highest number outside China. Singapore acted quickly by isolating sick people and testing everyone with flu symptoms and pneumonia. Sick people's contacts were traced and then put into quarantine using a "contact tracing method" developed during the
SARS epidemic in 2003. This involves meticulous recording of contact data when people enter buildings and interviewing those infected on recent movements.
To summarize, Singapore's success in managing the coronavirus outbreak comes down to three basic ingredients and one big one: closing borders early, rigorous contact tracing, a lot of testing — and SARS acting as a macabre dress rehearsal. These measures allowed public life to go on as normal. All restaurants, malls, schools and offices remain open to date. Hong Kong and Taiwan have similar success stories despite their proximity to China.