May 10, 2021
Number of new Covid cases from the previous day: 1
Number of total Covid cases: 1,184
Number of total Covid deaths: 12
“Minister Lin!” I knocked on the office door frame and walked in without waiting for him to admit me.
Minister Lin shot me a side-glance, raising his right hand to halt my advance. “This better be important, Jason. I’m in the middle of watching the series finale of Game of Thrones!”
I mumbled a quick apology through gritted teeth, summoning all my nerves and muscles to stay as they were. Last time Minister Lin caught me rolling my eyes while he was reminiscing about his military service from three decades ago — tales he had repeated so many times that I could recite them verbatim — he completely lost it. He called me an ungrateful brat, complaining about how fragile, lazy, and useless the younger generations have become. His rant went on for at least half an hour. By the time he dismissed me, everyone and their mother had texted me eye-rolling memes. These harebrained idiots!
Clearing my throat, I said, “Minister Lin, we have a tricky situation here…”
“Tricky, you said?” he bellowed. Looking up from his laptop, he smirked, “People in your generation think everything is tricky. You guys are so lucky, having everything handed to you since birth. You’ve never experienced any hardship. One tiny issue automatically gets blown up to a full-on crisis. Utterly useless! Now, out with it. What’s so tricky that you are barging in like a headless chicken?”
“I got a call from Ren-Ai Municipal Hospital. A woman took the Covid PCR test this morning because she’s due to fly back to New York tomorrow. The result came back positive.” Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I continued, “POSITIVE, Minister Lin! She’s been in Taiwan for the last three months. I pulled her record: Ms. Hong-ying Chou arrived in Taiwan on February 3rd. She completed the 15-day mandatory quarantine without showing any symptoms. I even traced her whereabouts in the last 15 days. She was not in contact with any known Covid patients.” Throwing up my hands, I exclaimed, “How did she contract Covid?”
Bolting upright, Minister Lin rushed past me and closed the door. “Keep your voice down, Jason!” he hissed. “Now what did you just say? A woman was tested positive for Covid, but she hasn’t been overseas or exposed to anyone who has it. Tell me: who else knows about this?”
“Just the lab technician, me, and you.” I replied.
“Mayor Hu…,” he said worriedly. “Are you sure he doesn’t know? His office keeps a tight leash on municipal hospitals.”
“No, he doesn’t know. The lab technician is my aunt. She called me immediately after she got the result. I asked her to keep it under wraps for now, and she agreed. She doesn’t like Mayor Hu — hates him, actually. She has known him since he was still a surgeon and said he’s arrogant, rude, and condescending. Minister Lin, she’s your ardent supporter. She tipped us off because she didn’t want to give Mayor Hu any leverage to humiliate you and the Ministry. She’s on our side. Don’t you worry about that!”
“Mmm… that’s good to know,” Minister Lin said, biting down hard on his lower lip. He murmured, “Damn, this is tricky!”
I quickly dropped my head to hide a smirk but couldn’t’ resist blurting out, “Exactly as you said. It’s tricky, isn’t it? Minister Lin, you often regale me with stories of your generation’s cleverness. What should we do? You know how utterly useless I am!”
Minister Lin narrowed his eyes, unsure if I was mocking him or paying him a compliment. After a moment of silence, he fired off a series of questions. “What do we know about this woman? Where has she been in the last three months? Has she met anyone recently who’s a pilot or flight attendant?”
“Other than what I just told you, there’s nothing more.” Seeing Minister Lin’s face turn thunderous, I quickly added, “I am still working on it. Reviewing CCTV footage takes time, especially since I can’t ask anyone else to help me. The most pressing matter now is what to tell Ms. Chou. She’s waiting for her report.”
Minister Lin snapped, “What to tell her? Negative, of course!”
“Minister Lin…”
“You heard me, Jason. Make that happen! Tell your aunt that I, Shang-lei Lin, head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, will personally see to it that her cooperation is richly rewarded.” Smiling broadly, Minister Lin added, “Of course, I will make it worthwhile for you, too. In next month’s performance review for merits and promotion, you will be a rockstar!” Minister Lin chuckled and slapped my back hard. “Ms. Chou,” Minister Lin drawled, “you said she’s flying to New York tomorrow, right? Perfect! Soon enough, she won’t be our problem anymore. Now, do as I tell you…”
I left Minister Lin’s office ten minutes later, exuberant, my steps light and bouncy. I made a beeline to an empty conference room, shut the door behind me, and called my aunt.
***
May 25, 2021
Number of new Covid cases from the previous day: 594
Number of total Covid cases: 4,903
Number of total Covid deaths: 54
Three policemen in full hazmat suits arrested Samuel MacArthur, a Orchid Airlines pilot. At the press conference, Minister Lin played a clip of CCTV footage showing a tall bald man leaving a FamilyMart. He claimed that man was Mr. MacArthur, who had sneaked out during the mandatory home quarantine. Minister Lin also disclosed that Mr. MacArthur had tested positive for Covid.
The public was outraged, demanding Orchid Airlines to sack him.
Through an interpreter, whom Mr. MacArthur paid out of his own pocket because his employer left him high and dry on the grounds that they “did not want to get in the way of a government investigation,” he proclaimed his innocence. He pointed out that the footage was grainy, and lacked timestamps to substantiate Minister Lin’s claim. He shouted, “For Pete’s sake, it didn’t even capture my face! I was not the man in the video!”
Mr. MacArthur did not stop there. He came prepared. He showed three negative test results: the first was taken on May 17, right before his flight to Taiwan; the second on May 18, immediately upon landing; and finally the third on May 21, at the conclusion of his mandatory seventy-two-hour quarantine. “I followed all the protocols! I took the three tests as required, and they were all negative. I did not step out from May 18 to May 21, and I never took the fourth test! I am being made a scapegoat for the recent outbreak!” His plea of innocence garnered no support. All everyone talked about was how his reckless behavior broke Taiwan’s long streak of zero Covid death.
Under pressure from the government and the news media, Orchid Airlines terminated Mr. MacArthur’s contract on May 30th. On the same day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revoked his work visa and arranged for his deportation back to his home country.
I escorted Mr. MacArthur to the airport. He was a colossal mess. One moment, he was angry, vowing to sue Orchid Airlines for unlawful termination. The next, he was crying, lamenting how much he loved being a pilot and how this trumped-up charge destroyed his career. Then he grew contemplative and philosophical, churning out theories about why he, not anyone else, was snared to take the fall. Just before we reached the airport, Mr. MacArthur said, “Maybe this whole thing was a cover-up. Someone local tested positive, but news like that would create panic and cast serious doubts on the success story the Taiwan government has been promoting around the world. I was chosen because my arrival fit the timeline of the outbreak perfectly.” My heart skipped a beat. I stole a quick glance through the rearview mirror at Mr. MacArthur, and our eyes locked. “What nonsense is this,” I protested weakly, looking away.
Minister Lin was a man of his word. He told Peak Vaccine Biologics Corp to hire my aunt as an honorary advisor, paying her twice her old salary. I became the deputy of the Minister of Health and Welfare, the youngest ever to hold that position in the Ministry’s history. Behind my back, people gossiped and questioned my credentials. I let the insults slide – for now, anyway. Minister Lin will retire next year, and he told me categorically that President Chang is on board to make me the next Minister. Let’s see how fast those hare-brained idiots will come crawling and begging to be in my good graces!
***
Two days after arriving in New York, Ms. Hong-ying Chou was rushed to a hospital. She did not survive.
Mr. Samuel MacArthur followed through on his threats and sued Orchid Airlines. They reached an undisclosed settlement, after which he became a pilot for another airline with no flight routes to Taiwan.
Minister Lin retired in March 2022, handing the baton to Jason. Despite the skyrocketing Covid death toll and the public’s outcry over the government’s disastrous efforts in securing Covid vaccines, Jason held onto the post. Rumor had it that he was a strong contender to become the next Prime Minister.
December 31, 2022
Number of new Covid cases from the previous day: 25,751
Number of total Covid cases: 8,847,197
Number of total Covid deaths: 14,012