Pacific isles, secretive states among last virus-free places
Wellington (New Zealand): From Argentina to Zimbabwe, from the Vatican to the White House, 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.
Some have been 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, the 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. It's very, very bad, Taumoepeau says. None of the businesses have
escaped.
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 even weeks, due to the 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.
