"COVID zero" havens find reopening harder than taming the virus

Aggressive reactions to tiny caseloads may seem overblown to observers in countries facing thousands of infections a day, but the aim is to snuff out coronavirus before more disruptive restrictions like months-long lockdowns are needed -- and largely the strategy has worked. Still, the slower pace of vaccination in these places, and the threat of new variants, has meant that measures have become more and more onerous. New York currently logs 95 new daily cases per million people, and the U.S. has just lifted its mask mandate for those vaccinated. Singapore found just 4.2 new cases per million on Thursday, boosting locally acquired cases to the highest level since July last year, and is returning to restrictions it last imposed a year ago, banning dining-in and limiting gatherings to two people. The resurgence is also putting its highly-anticipated travel bubble with Hong Kong in doubt. Meanwhile, Taiwan recorded 16 local cases on Wednesday -- a daily record high -- and promptly restricted access to gyms and other public venues. In Hong Kong, anyone living in the same building as a person infected with a new Covid variant was required to spend as much as three weeks in government isolation until the policy changed last week. Australia has said that it likely won’t open its international borders until the second half of 2022.