COVID-19 pandemic in Tuvalu
Infections from a COVID-19 pandemic in Tuvalu have not yet become known. The island state of Tuvalu , a parliamentary monarchy , is one of the few states on earth where there are no COVID-19 infected people (as of June 10, 2020).
background
The COVID-19 pandemic is occurring as part of the global COVID-19 pandemic that began in China in December 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic affects the novel disease COVID-19 . This is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the Coronaviridae group and belongs to the group of respiratory diseases . From March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the outbreak of the novel coronavirus as a global pandemic .
Location of the islands
Tuvalu is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations . The islands are located in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea and north of New Zealand . With a total area of 25.66 square kilometers, Tuvalu with its six atolls and three islands is the fourth smallest state in the world and is inhabited by around 11,000 people.
Tuvalu operates a central hospital with few medical staff and inadequate equipment. The government of Tuvalu is preparing the health system for future cases of infection; quarantine structures and health monitoring measures, communication options with the public are being set up and helpers are being prepared to support the nursing staff.
activities
The Tuvalu government set up a COVID-19 Health Taskforce towards the end of January when a national emergency related to Cyclone Tino was declared. Travelers who have been in China in the previous 30 days will be refused entry.
On March 3, the borders were closed, only flights to and from Fiji , Kiribati , Vanuatu , Solomon Islands , Samoa and Tonga were possible, which significantly reduced air traffic. Entrants coming from countries that are classified by the WHO as high risk countries must present a medical report that must not be more than three days old. People who want to enter from countries with the lower level of high risk have to present a medical report that must not be more than five days old. The health check took place at Funafuti Airport and the Seaport of Funafuti in Tuvalu, as well as at Nausori Airport in Fiji and Tarawa Airport in Kiribati.
On March 20, the Governor General of Tuvalu declared a state of emergency or a state of emergency for the atolls because the first COVID-19 infection was found in Fiji. The state of emergency was initially in place for 14 days until further notice. As part of the declaration, public gatherings were limited to a maximum of 10 people. For Tuvalu, Fiji is the most important starting point for planes and ships that transport food, medicine and medical aid as well as fuel from there to Tuvalu. Medical examinations and two weeks of quarantine apply to all arrivals. A curfew was announced, schools closed, church going to church banned and harsh sentences imposed on those who spread false news about viruses. The last flight was on March 21st. 56 passengers had to be quarantined after landing. The border closure has an impact on the living conditions of the islanders, the government intends to support the economy through loans. Food transport from Fiji is secured. The government supports the local cultivation of food with a food security plan, it has given out seeds, supports local agriculture and recommends the establishment of a stock economy. One also expects better health of the population by building up local agriculture for their own food production.
Web links
- World Health Organization (WHO): Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports on the website www.who.int (English)
- Johns Hopkins CSSE : Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases. (English)
- Website World of Meters : real-time data of the Corona virus pandemic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Which countries have not reported any coronavirus cases? Al-Jazeera, June 10, 2020.
- ↑ Pulmonologists on the net: Covid-19: Causes . Online at www.lungenaerzte-im-netz.de. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ↑ Tagesschau: "Deeply worried". WHO speaks of corona pandemic . March 11, 2020. Online at www.tagesschau.de. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ↑ a b c Carol Farbotko, Taukiei Kitara: How is Tuvalu securing against COVID-19? . In: Devpolicy of April 6, 2020
- ^ Tuvalu . In: US Embassy in Fuji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu, undated, accessed April 18, 2020
- ^ Coronavirus: More cases show up in the Pacific Islands. In: newshub.co.nz. Newshub, accessed April 20, 2020 .
