[unishark]

South Korea passed new laws after MERS which allowed them to publicize personal health information. People get alerts telling them someone of a certain gender and age was tested positive and gives their prior activities. I suspect a lockdown would be easier to pull off in the US.

Taiwan has been passing new laws since SARS that allowed them to quarantine people. They also track people on quarantine via their phones.

If anything, I'd say the common denominator in handling this outbreak well is having experienced a similar outbreak recently and adapting to it, at least in part by swinging the pendulum further away from civil rights towards protecting the populace. Both SK and Taiwan's govts were also embarrassed and criticized after those respective previous outbreaks, prompting quicker action next time around.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51733145