Pacific islands meet Covid for the first time

By Al Mayadeen Net
Source: Agencies
11 Feb 2022 16:21

After two years of closing borders, some remote Pacific island nations are opening up to the world again.

Pacific islands meet COVID.

Many Pacific island nations, surrounded by the vastness of the world's largest ocean, were among the last places on the planet to be spared by Covid-19.

Recognizing the threat of even a single case of Covid, the Marshall Islands became one of the first countries in the world to restrict its borders to foreigners in January 2020.

“Up until now, they’ve been able to keep Covid at bay largely as a result of closing their borders and being very, very cautious about allowing people to come into the country—including their own people,” says Tess Newton Cain, the project leader of the Pacific Hub at the Griffith Asia Institute.

While governments pleaded for patience, international students were trapped abroad, families were split up, and sailors were delayed at sea.

Kiribati Island

Two years into the pandemic, some countries have loosened their defenses.

Kiribati reopened this year, and 54 citizens were allowed to return home on a chartered plane in late January. Some Kiribati residents who returned home brought the virus with them.

Over 1,700 cases of Omicron have been reported in Kiribati. Since January 22, the country has been on lockdown, with mandatory masks, social separation, and travel vaccination cards. The government has proclaimed a state of emergency.

Palau Island

After two years of being Covid-free, Palau reported its first instances in early January, which were brought in by tourists from other countries.

The total number of cases in the country presently stands at 460. Schools have been closed, and a mask ban has been imposed.

Solomon Islands

Cases are on the rise in the Solomon Islands. On January 19, community transmission of the virus was proven for the first time.

According to Manasseh Sogavare, the prime minister, one in every two citizens of Honiara, the capital, was infected with Covid-19 as of February 6, bringing the total number of cases to about 50,000.

Only 56 beds are available at Honiara's Covid-19 isolation unit, which is the only place designated for positive patients.