Despite the tremendous spread of the coronavirus, there are still countries on the planet where not a single case of infection has been recorded.
The coronavirus pandemic has swept almost the entire world. However, there are countries on the planet where COVID-19 has not yet reached. The Associated Press reports on countries where not a single case of infection has yet been recorded.
For example, some of the lucky countries are in the South Pacific. These are Tonga, Kiribati, Samoa, Micronesia and Tuvalu.
The publication notes that with the beginning of the pandemic in Tonga in March, the airport was closed and cruise ships were banned from entering. Despite this, the authorities still imposed quarantine, as a result of which the country’s economy sank.
Other infection-free countries in the region have also suffered, as their economies are closely tied to tourism.
No coronavirus has been recorded in Antarctica. This is the only continent that has not yet been infected.
“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,” the newspaper notes.
North Korea, with a population of more than 25 million, has not yet reported a single case of COVID-19 infection.
There is not a single infected person in Turkmenistan, which raises doubts among experts, as in the case of North Korea. In March, Turkmenistan restricted entry and exit from the country and banned mass religious events.
“The responsibility of reporting outbreaks sits firmly with the member state and we rely on health authorities to inform WHO of any outbreaks,” said World Health Organization official Catherine Smallwood.