COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu
Infections from a COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu have not yet become known. The island state of Vanuatu has around 260,000 inhabitants and is one of the few states on earth where there are no COVID-19 infected people (as of June 10, 2020). Vanuatu had imposed curfews due to an impending COVID-19 pandemic, which the population alone is difficult to cope with. When cyclone Harold also left a trail of devastation on the islands of Vanuatus during the curfew , the social situation for the island nation's residents worsened.
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
The island area of Vanuatu extends over 1300 kilometers in the South Pacific and is part of the cultural area of Melanesia . The island area is about 1,800 kilometers east of Australia . The island state consists of 83 islands, 67 of which are inhabited. The largest islands are Espiritu Santo with 3955 square kilometers and Malakula with 2041 square kilometers.
On Vanuatu, the Port Vila Central Hospital in the capital Port Vila is the central hospital with around 200 beds. There are also other hospitals and health centers in the regions. According to local media reports, the country had just two ventilators in April 2020. As a result, according to local Oxfam chief Elizabeth Faeru, it would not have been able to shoulder a moderate outbreak.
Course and measures
Travel restrictions and quarantine measures
Travel restrictions and quarantine measures were introduced as early as mid-March 2020 for those entering the country.
Curfews
On March 26, President Tallis Obed Moses declared a state of emergency in the country. A tourist on a cruise ship visiting Aneityum Island had tested positive for the virus, resulting in the island being locked.
Since March 26, 2020, cruise ships and yachts are no longer allowed to dock on the Vanuatus Islands and Air Vanuatu had to cancel all domestic and international flights. The airport in Port Vila has been closed and will only be opened for emergencies. Restaurants and hotels are either closed or open from 7:30 a.m. and close between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. the next morning. In Port Vila, for example, hygiene stations for hand washing are set up in front of or in the shops and banks. The small bars, called Nakamals, where Vanuatu and tourists ordered drinks and sat down, have now become takeaway shops.
When Vanuatu declared a state of emergency for 2 weeks on March 26, 2020, the freedom of the press was restricted, because during the time of the declared state of emergency no representation about COVID-19 was allowed in the media without the approval of the national National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) to be published.
Cyclone Harold during curfew
When Cyclone Harold reached Vanuatu at the beginning of April in this exceptional situation with curfew and impending pandemic, 160,000 Vanatuans needed help. According to Oxfam, the cyclone killed two people and destroyed 90% of the houses and infrastructure on its way on Pentecost Island alone, according to NDMO. Due to concerns about COVID-19 infections, the government rejected offers from foreign aid organizations to send helpers to Vanuatu, although it is estimated that 80 to 90% of Vanuatu's houses have been destroyed. Australia, New Zealand and China were only allowed to fly in relief supplies, which had to be quarantined for three days and then disinfected before use. On Pentecost Island, with around 2,000 buildings destroyed, the Vanuatu government was only able to deploy 25 helpers, although it estimated that at least 100 would have been needed.
Effects in the tourism sector
On March 22, 2020, Vanuatu health officials confirmed the tests for a resort worker suspected of having coronavirus were negative.
Individual evidence
- ^ Marshal Islands . In: WHO, undated, accessed April 15, 2020
- ↑ 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.
- ^ Health and Medical for Vanuatu (PDF). In: U.S. Government as of April 30, 2011
- ↑ Cyclone wreaks havoc in Vanuatu , Wiener Zeitung of April 7, 2014
- ↑ Pacific nations take further measures against coronavirus . March 16, 2020. Accessed March 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b Vanuatu declares State of Emergency over Covid-19 . In: Radio New Zealand , March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ↑ Vanuatu Travel and Safety Information . In: Federal Foreign Office of April 7, 2020
- ↑ Yasmine Bjornum: If it comes, it will be a disaster ': life in one of the only countries without coronavirus . In: The Guardian of April 7, 2020.
- ↑ Yvette Tan: Cyclone Harold and coronavirus: Paciuic Islands face battle on two fronts . In: BBC News of April 15, 2020
- ↑ This Tiny Nation Has Zero Coronavirus Cases. After a Devastating Cyclone, It's Refusing Foreign Aid Workers to Keep It That Way . In: Time from April 17, 2020
- ↑ Covid-19 tests in Samoa, Vanuatu come back negative . In: Radio New Zealand . March 22, 2020. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved on March 24, 2020.
