{"id":108598,"date":"2021-01-16T14:10:58","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T14:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=108598"},"modified":"2021-01-16T14:10:58","modified_gmt":"2021-01-16T14:10:58","slug":"how-11-countries-escaped-covid-pandemic-with-zero-coronavirus-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/world-news\/how-11-countries-escaped-covid-pandemic-with-zero-coronavirus-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"How 11 countries escaped Covid pandemic with zero coronavirus cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

It may seem impossible after almost a year of living in a global pandemic, but there are some pockets of the Earth coronavirus hasn't managed to invade. <\/p>\n

Somehow a handful of countries have managed to avoid Covid-19 altogether, without a single case having been recorded.<\/p>\n

As might be expected, almost all the virus-free nations are islands in the Pacific which locked down hard and early, banning all visitors from the outside world.<\/p>\n

Here are the last 11 havens of normal life left in the world, with no face masks, social distancing or remote working \u2014 but that doesn't necessarily mean living there is idyllic.<\/p>\n

Cook Islands<\/h3>\n

Population: 17,000<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Cook Islands has been vigilant in barring the virus from its shores, and for good reason \u2014 the country has only 22 doctors and two ventilators.<\/p>\n

The government closed all schools on Rarotonga, the most populous of the 15 islands that make up the country, and encouraged social distancing in public as a precaution for the first few weeks of the pandemic last year.<\/p>\n

Since then life has gone back to normal, but the economic impact of Covid-19 has been severe. Tourism makes up more than two thirds of the Cook Islands' GDP and the economy has been propped up by a government relief package.<\/p>\n

But locals have told media the hard times and isolation have strengthened community spirit, encouraging Cook Islanders to take care of their neighbours and share homegrown food.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tuvalu<\/h3>\n

Population: 11,500<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Located halfway between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu is a member of the Commonwealth and is made up of three reef islands and six atolls, with a combined area of just 10 square miles.<\/p>\n

One of the world's smallest independent nations, the government closed the border to all travel at the beginning of the pandemic before introducing a mandatory quarantine period.<\/p>\n

The strategy seems to be working, with zero confirmed cases reported in Tuvalu.<\/p>\n

Tonga<\/h3>\n

Population: 104,000<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

One of the most populous Pacific nations, Tonga took a hardline approach to the virus from the beginning of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

The archipelago of approximately 170 islands restricted the movement of cruise ships early on, back when the pleasure vessels were still operating even though notorious examples like the Ruby Princess saw them rebranded as "plague ships".<\/p>\n

Tonga also closed its airports and implemented a temporary full national lockdown despite having no cases. Almost all movement in and out of Tonga remains banned, and it's stayed virus-free.<\/p>\n

Tonga, along with Niue, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tokelau and the Cook Islands, could receive supplies of a Covid vaccine later this year after the New Zealand government allocated $75 million to roll it out in the Pacific nations with which it shares a political or economic partnership.<\/p>\n

CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK<\/h3>\n
  • \n
    All you need to know about coronavirus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
  • \n
    How long do symptoms take to appear?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
  • \n
    How to avoid the virus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
  • \n
    How Covid-19 affects the body<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n

    Pitcairn Islands<\/h3>\n

    Population: 50<\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The only inhabited island on this tiny British Overseas Territory is just two miles long and one mile wide.<\/p>\n

    It's populated entirely by the descendants of the famous mutineers of the HMS Bounty and a handful of Tahitian captives, who landed on the islands in 1789.<\/p>\n

    The Pitcairn Islands' official website proudly says it's "staying Covid-free" with travel restrictions in place until at least March 2022.<\/p>\n

    Palau<\/h3>\n

    Population: 17,900<\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Palau is an independent country in free association with the US, and is made up of more than 300 islands.<\/p>\n

    Located more than 500 miles east of the Philippines, it has also suspended all commercial air travel and employed a mandatory quarantine requirement for returning locals.<\/p>\n