Shawn Bryant knew he would be under quarantine for two weeks when he arrived in Taiwan from Daejeon, South Korea. The local police called every day and Bryant had told them he would be moving to a new Airbnb a few days into his stay. They said it was fine as long as he took a taxi.

So Bryant was alarmed when, in the taxi, he received a text warning that he had gone too far from his accommodation and would be fined if he didn’t return immediately. He quickly called his police contact, who assured Bryant he can just ignore the automated message.

“I’m glad they’re taking it very seriously and not letting people off the hook easily,” said Bryant, who is visiting Taiwan on his way back to Canada, his home country.

Using phone tracking to enforce mandatory quarantine is one example of how Taiwan has managed to contain the spread of coronavirus, with just 48 confirmed cases of infection to date, including one death. That’s despite the island located just 130km (80 miles) from mainland China, the centre of the virus outbreak which has reported more than 80,000 cases and 3,000 deaths.

As the UK, US, Italy, and other countries outside China struggle to cope with rising cases of the virus within their borders, many are taking note of Taiwan’s successes. Experts and officials say effective controls in Taiwan can be attributed to the use of technology, a central command centre, its single-payer healthcare system, and swift decision making.

A mask-clad worker disinfects an area in Taipei. Photograph: Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Taiwan’s government was quick to implement border controls and it was one of the first to ban exports of surgical masks. Unlike in 2003, when severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) killed dozens of people in Taiwan after spreading from southern China, Taiwan has access to more advanced technologies this time around.

It was also on alert early due to its experience of the Sars epidemic. China was criticised for delays reporting to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sars. “What we learned from Sars was that we need to be very sceptical with data from China,” said Chan Chang-chuan, dean of National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health. “We learned very harsh lessons then and that experience is something other countries don’t have.”

Conditions seemed heavy-handed at first, but now I believe they are wise decisions Andy Chen, Taiwan mask manufacturer

Taiwan is not a member of the WHO because Beijing objects. China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory even though Taiwan functions as a sovereign country with an independent, democratically elected government, blocks its membership of international organisations.

Since 2017, Taiwan has been barred from attending the annual World Health Assembly, an annual policy meeting, due to lobbying from Beijing. In the current outbreak, it has been excluded from WHO emergency meetings on the coronavirus.

Taiwanese experts were allowed to participate online in a WHO forum on Covid-19 on 12 February in their professional capacities. China’s foreign ministry said Beijing had given permission, while Taipei said China had nothing to do with it and that it was the result of direct negotiation with the WHO.

The issue has become an increasingly sore point for Taiwan amid the virus outbreak, with Taipei saying it is a big disadvantage for global health. Others, including Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe have called for the WHO to allow Taiwan to join.

“For us, receiving timely information is very important … Taiwan also needs to let WHO know that Taiwan can’t share our successful experiences if we can’t participate,” said Kolas Yotaka, spokeswoman for Taiwan’s cabinet. “We need to work together to end this nightmare.”

In Taiwan, most residents carry on as normal, with offices and schools open. Many restaurants, gyms, and cafes in the capital, Taipei, are still bustling, although most premises will take temperatures and spray hands with sanitiser before allowing customers in.

Pupils sit behind partition boards to prevent infection of Covid-19. Photograph: David Chang/EPA

The government has been buying up all domestic mask production and rationing purchases to just three masks per person per week, causing queues outside pharmacies. It will enable online purchases this week.

“Everyone is really united at the moment and trust the government’s policies. They seemed heavy-handed at first, but now I believe they are wise decisions,” said Andy Chen, general manager of Taiwan Comfort Champ, a mask manufacturer that has been ordered to ramp up production.

Despite the sense of calm, Taiwanese officials are still on high alert. The health minister, Chen Shih-chung, said last week community transmission was unavoidable in the long run and Taiwan needed to be prepared.

Chan, from National Taiwan University, agrees more needs to be done, including more widespread and efficient testing for Covid-19. South Korea, a country of 51.8 million, conducts around 15,000 tests a day and has drive-through test centres. Taiwan, with a population of almost 24 million, currently conducts only around 800 screenings a day and not everyone under quarantine is tested.

There will be more and more confirmed cases as the US and other countries conduct more tests, Chan added.

For Bryant, who is temporarily in the country while en route to Canada, he is happy to wait out his quarantine. He is fine with authorities tracking his movement for now, but he expresses slight concern about the “big brother” implication. Taiwanese officials say it is legal, assuring that they are tracking individuals only during the period of mandatory quarantine.

“We are not using any advanced surveillance technology. It’s simply tracking based on their phone’s sim cards and their nearby base stations,” said cabinet spokeswoman Kolas.

“We want to protect the person as well as others in Taiwan,” she said. “To prevent more infections and fatalities, it’s a measure we have to take.”