Coronavirus: Amazing scenes in country living 'as normal' despite global pandemic

Amazing photos have captured how successful Taiwan has been in controlling the coronavirus pandemic.

Taiwan has had only seven deaths from COVID-19 and currently has 451 known cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

It meant nearly 10,000 people were able to attend the 10th Taiwan International Balloon Festival in Taitung County in the country’s southeast on Saturday about 5.30am local time.

Those who attended the festival were told to wear masks and practise good hygiene.

Photos uploaded to Facebook by a Taiwanese man show massive crowds enjoying the festival.

He wrote he had returned to Taiwan from Australia recently.

“Life in Taiwan is the same as before,” he wrote.

One man called the images “absolutely amazing”.

“So jealous,” another man wrote.

Taiwan’s taken a number of steps to control the spread of COVID-19.

In January, Taiwan banned the export of face masks in the belief there weren’t enough to go around, Time magazine reported.

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It also shut down its international borders in March.

On June 7, Taiwan Central Epidemic Command Center lifted some COVID-19 restrictions.

Those restrictions included wearing masks on public transport. This restriction has since been changed with commuters only forced to wear masks if they can’t properly social distance.

Food sampling at stores is also allowed again.

Chen Shih-chung, Minister of Health and Welfare, told reporters the country had “eight weeks of zero local infections” and Taiwan was in “good shape”, according to news site Focus Taiwan.

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