South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Not everyplace on Earth has felt virus’s wrath
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — From Argentina to Zimbabwe, fromtheVatican to the WhiteHouse, the coronavirus has spread relentlessly. It’s been confirmed on every continent but one and in nearly every country.
Yet a few places have yet to report even a single case of infection. Somehavebeen genuinely spared so far, while others may be hiding the truth.
Here’s a closer look:
Pacific Islands: The largest cluster of countries without the coronavirus is in the South Pacific. Tonga, Kiribati, Samoa, Micronesia and Tuvalu are among the small island nations yet to report a single case. They haven’t been spared from the pandemic’s effects, however.
Tonga managed to keep the virus out by stopping cruise ships from docking and closing the airport in March, says Paula Taumoepeau, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He says the government even imposed a lockdown, even though there were no known cases. These days, only people who have first tested negative are allowed to return on occasional repatriation flights. He says he finds it hard to believe the confirmed death toll in the U.S. alone exceeds twice his entire nation’s population of just over 100,000.
“I think the government has done a good job keeping COVID away from Tonga, but it has had a big impact on businesses, especially tourism and accommodation,” Taumoepeau says. “None of the businesses have escaped.”
Many of the South Pacific islands rely on tourism as a major source of revenue and have seen unemployment spike and their economies struggle since the pandemic began. Much of the South Pacific is relatively poor and has basic health systems
that would be ill-equipped to deal with major outbreaks.
Not everywhere in the South Pacific has been spared, either. In recent weeks, Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands reported their first cases, from quarantined travelers. Fiji and
the Solomon Islands each count a handful, while Papua New Guinea has reported about 600 cases and seven deaths. French Polynesia has been particularly hard hit, with more than 11,000 cases and 50 deaths.
Antarctica:
There has
been perhaps no place on Earth where people have been more vigilant in keeping out the virus than Antarctica, the only continent which remains virus-free. That’s because any outbreak would be difficult to control in a place where people live in close quarters and where medical capabilities are limited.
People who do get gravely ill on Antarctica typically must be evacuated, a process that can take days or weeks due to extreme weather conditions, which can delay flights.
While most countries have been reducing the number of scientists and staff they are sending to Antarctica this Southern Hemisphere summer, hundreds of people still have been arriving to ensure bases are maintained and long-term scientific programs continue to tick over.
Michelle RoganFinnemore, the executive
secretary of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, says people planning to travel to Antarctica are typically tested in their home countries before leaving and then quarantined for at least two weeks in their final gateway country before flying to Antarctica. Once there, she says, people are typically tested again and are required at first to remain socially distanced andwear masks.
“We’re doing our best in a global pandemic,” RoganFinnemore says.
NorthKorea: With apopulation of more than 25 million, North Korea is by far the largest nation yet to report a single case, although there’s widespread skepticism over leader Kim Jong Un’s claim of a perfect record in keeping out the “evil” virus.
North Korea says its antivirus campaign is a matter of “national existence.” It has severely restricted cross-border traffic, banned tourists, flown out diplomats and mobilized tens ofthousandsofhealthworkers to screen entry points, monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms.
In September, North Korean troops shot and killed a South Korean government officialwhowas founddrifting near the sea boundary. The North said its troops then burned the man’s makeshift flotation device in an anti-virus step.
The North’s lockdown and its extreme anti-virus measures are believed to be stressing its already crippled economy. But an outbreak could be devastating in a country that lacks medical supplies and modern health care infrastructure. Most analysts believe North Korea has had at least some cases of COVID-19 because it shares a porous border with China, where smuggling activities are common. Some believe theNorthmay be in the grip of a significant outbreak.
Turkmenistan: There is also significant doubt about Turkmenistan’s claim of zero cases. Authorities in the secretiveandauthoritarian Central Asian nation of 6 million have rejected allegations they’re hiding information about the outbreak. And yet health officials have recommended people wear masksandkeepadistanceof 7 feet from each other in public places.
In March, Turkmenistan restricted travel in and out of the country and restricted mass religious events. A World Health Organization delegation that visitedTurkmenistan in July said the country should take stronger actions. The WHO recommended “activating critical public health measures” as if the virus was already circulating, delegation head Dr. Catherine Smallwood said at the time.
Smallwood did not directlycommenton the credibility of the country having zero cases.