List of Countries Still Without Any Coronavirus

In December 2019, the coronavirus seemed to be confined to China. But, just a few weeks later, the virus, which causes the illness known as COVID-19, became a global pandemic.

The virus, which leads to a respiratory illness that can be transmitted from droplets of bodily fluids – such as mucus and saliva, has now been reported in at least 188 countries.

With the number of positive cases growing in the United States, scientists, health officials along with local governments have issued mandates and regulations to practice social distancing and hand washing to flatten the curve and reduce the number of cases.

As of July 15, 2020, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, more than 13 million people have been infected, and the global death toll is more than 578,000. More than 7.3 million patients have recovered.

While those numbers may seem staggering, there are 12 countries that have not confirmed any cases of COVID-19 (Keep in mind, there were 18 countries with no cases in April). Many of these countries are Pacific Island countries in Oceania:

Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
North Korea
Palau
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Vanuatu

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So how did these countries manage to be amongst the very few to have no cases of a virus that has affected more than a million people worldwide?

Here’s a look at the three of the COVID-free countries and what we can learn from them.

1. North Korea (Population +25 Million)

North Korea was the first country to close its borders.

As a neighbor of China, the country closed its borders on January 21st and hasn’t re-opened since. It then implemented strict measures for those coming into the country (foreigners and nationals) including month or two-month quarantine.

Now, you may ask, how is the closest neighbor to China been able to stay healthy? Well, we can only assume that…

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… this part of the world, they are very strict with their laws, (if you break them, they are dire consequences) so when they have said no one in or out, the people had to listen. We will be watching closely as time progresses.

2. Tonga, Oceania (Population, +100,000)

Tonga has been strict with travel rules since February. Tonga is a Polynesian kingdom of more than 170 South Pacific islands, many are lined in white beaches and coral reefs and covered with tropical rainforest. The main island, Tongatapu, is protected by lagoons and limestone cliffs. It has the capital of Nuku’alofa, and his home to many beach resorts and plantations.

Since Fiji’s first reported case of coronavirus, Tonga closed its borders to foreigners and only allowed foreigners to leave who were traveling back on flights to their own countries. At first there were eight suspected cases of COVID, but after they were tested, all came back negative. As of 29th of March, Tonga has been in lockdown and hasn’t opened back up to visitors since.

3. Vanuatu, Oceania (Populations, +300,000)

Vanuatu has no reported cases and implemented strict policies for those coming in from overseas from February. Remember that Oceania is a geographic region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Many of those places reported some coronavirus cases, but not many. Those travelling from infected countries to Vanuatu were not permitted in or had to undergo quarantine. Plus, if anyone arrived into the country, they had to provide a medical certificate.