Pacific Island Times May 2020 Vol 4 No. 5 | Page 4

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK The irony of it all Lessons from small Pacific islands F rom Wuhan, Covid-19 has em- barked on its atrocious journey around the world, reaching as far as it could get, swirling like a tornado and leaving carnage along its paths. Ma- jor cities around the world have become apparent ghost towns as governments’ social distancing mandates had citizens locked behind their doors. At this point, the question is not how many countries have been infected; rather, how many countries have been spared. As the Cen- ter for Diseases Control’s coronavirus map is widely marked bloody red, the virgin spots stand out— most of them are in the Pacific islands region. Before the Covid-19 con- tagion became a pandemic, world health experts were worried most about the small Pacific island coun- tries, which are typically re- garded as most susceptible to any disease contagion. Negating the idyllic charm of these tiny tropical islands is the abysmal inadequacy of their health care infra- structures. Seeking treat- ments from medical specialists is almost a luxury that only those who can afford to travel can get. Combine that liability with their geographical isolation, which makes it difficult for island communities to access medical supply and equipment. Typhoons and other natural disasters have repeatedly highlighted the islands’ fragility. When Covid-19 was just in its nascent stage, many island communities were still reeling from the outbreaks of oth- erwise preventable measles and dengue fever, a situation that amplified the world health experts’ apprehension about the Pacific islands’ ability to deal with yet another plague. Covid-19 could place them under enormous strain. But the Covid-19 pandemic has ex- 4 The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed a curious irony. While most rich countries in the West, such as the United States and Italy, have been worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Pacific island countries continue to enjoy a coronavirus-free existence. posed a curious irony. While most rich countries in the West, such as the United States and Italy, have been worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Pacific island countries continue to enjoy a coronavirus-free existence. Guam, however, is an ex- emption. It relatively shared the United States’ false sense of security and delusion of immunity. With more than 140 positive cases as of the last week of April— not counting the nearly 1,000 cases on the USS Theodore Roosevelt which is docked in Apra Harbor— Guam is the region’s hot spot. The CNMI, Guam’s closest neighbor, has been hit as well. According to Lowy Institute, 15 countries have dodged the Covid-19. Ten of them are in this part of the world. These include Palau, Marshalls Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. If the White House coronavirus task force’s theory is to be believed— sunlight, heat and humidity weaken the coronavirus— perhaps, the sun shielded the islands from the pan- demic. Or most likely, it is the awareness of their own weaknesses that compelled the island communities to be more proac- tive. Their early aggressive responses and preparedness stood in contrast to the complacency of the West. Some islands had early drills with dengue fever and measles outbreaks from mid-part of 2019 through January. Samoa was the epicenter of the disease, with 83 measles-related deaths and 5,600 cases. Before lockdown became the global norm and “social distancing” became part of the universal vocabu- lary, bans on social gathering were in place in FSM, American Samoa and Samoa. By the time Covid-19 got out of Chi- na, Pacific island governments already knew what to do. As early as Febru- ary, most of these jurisdictions began imposing restrictions on immigration and travel from China and from high risk countries. FSM, Marshall Islands and Palau governments prohibited their citizens from travelling to China and other infected countries before closing their borders altogether. Most Pacific island nations are tour- ism-based economies and shutting their airports is a slayer of the industry. But when the pandemic dies down and the world returns to normal, these small islands will reemerge from the global plague scathed the least, leaving a les- son for the word to learn: urgent action is key to addressing a disaster. Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Mar-Vic Cagurangan [email protected] Contributing Writers Vince Akimoto Raquel Bagnol Bea Cabrera Phillip Cruz, Jr. Zaldy Dandan Jayne Flores Ken Leon Guerrero Theodore Lewis Diana Mendoza Johanna Salinas Alex Rhowuniong Jay Shedd Jeffrey Voacolo Robert Underwood Visual Editor Mar-Vic Cagurangan Sales and Marketing Executive Jan SN Furukawa [email protected] Account Executive Anna Marie Alegre [email protected] Administrative Assistant Ricky Panelo *** Pacific Independent News Service LLC Tumon Sands Plaza 1082 Pale San Vitores Rd. Tumon Guam 96931 Telephone: [phone] Email: [email protected] Website: www.pacificislandtimes.com The Pacific Island Times is published monthly and circulated in Guam and Palau by the Pacific Independent News Service LLC. Editorial and advertising submissions become property of the Pacific Island Times and cannot be lifted without consent of the publisher. 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