How has Taiwan controlled the spread of this coronavirus outbreak while other countries have not? The answer to this question has its roots in the hard lessons learned from prior experience dealing with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003. This experience helped Taiwan, both at governmental and societal levels, react relatively quickly to the COVID‐19 outbreak and treat its potential harms more seriously. Border controls and wearing of face masks became routine policies as early as January in Taiwan, while hospitals quickly established readiness plans that included relevant protocols and the stockpiling of supplies, equipment and medications.