The president of the Federated States of Micronesia said the country’s first case of Covid-19 – observed with a sailor aboard a ship detained in an island lagoon – posed no threat to the wider community.
David Panuelo’s government announced last week that a lone sailor aboard the government ship, MV chief Mailo, had tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from the Philippines.
In a national television speech broadcast this week, Panuelo said the crew may return to the country after being tested for the virus, and because they feared piracy.
‘The crew was rightly afraid of the growing number of pirates in the region contributing to their fear. So I can abandon the ship that the government uses to serve the state of Chuuk and leave its crew and the 12-year-old son of Poluwat out of our care, or I can bring them home. ‘
Panuelo said the single case was successfully quarantined while the ship was kept under surveillance in Pohnpei Lagoon.
“Citizens across the country must remain calm … do not panic, because the situation is limited.
“The individual with Covid-19 at the head of Mailo poses no immediate risk of the virus spreading to the wider community in Pohnpei,” he said.
The Federal States of Micronesia have not recorded any cases of Covid-19 before this case.
Schools, churches and businesses remain open and there are no mandatory requirements to wear masks in the archipelago, although this is encouraged along with social distance.
FSM has already received 9000 doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine from the United States, with which it contains a free association. A vaccination program for the 100,000 population has already begun.
Islands in the Pacific were among the most successful in the world in keeping the virus out after closing their borders early in response to the threat, despite the huge costs to tourism-dependent economies.
Several virus-free island nations have recently lost status with the Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu dropping the coronavirus pandemic around the world.
However, several other island nations, including Tonga, Palau, Nauru and Kiribati, are believed to remain virus-free.