World health organization (WHO) announced Coronavirus as a global pandemic but a handful of countries have not yet reported any cases. The two most dubious candidates are certainly Turkmenistan and North Korea, authoritarian states that still deny the pandemic has spread within their borders. Observers do dispute that, however, stating that its almost certain both countries have experienced cases of Covid-19. In Turkmenistan, there have been reports of people experiencing suspected coronavirus symptoms and dying while the government has remained silent. In North Korea, there was a suspected case in the border city of Kaesong which prompted Kim Jong-un to impose a three-week lockdown on the region. That has now been lifted while state media has not commented on the outcome.
Back in April, a lack of public appearances by Kim Jong-un led to rumours that some form of crisis, possibly Covid-19, had indeed gripped the country. He later reappeared at the opening of a fertilizer factory, alive and well, after a 20 day absence. While experts dispute North Korea’s claim that it has had no cases, it is entirely possible that its isolation from the rest of the world is now working in its favour. The country was also one of the first to close its borders in response to the threat and that early action may have proven effective in containing the spread of the disease. Excluding the censorship and secretive nature of the regimes in North Korea and Turkmenistan, 10 other countries have reliably reported no cases of Covid-19.
They are all island nations located in the South Pacific: Palau, Micronesia, The Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa, Vanuatu and Tonga. Again, this is a case where isolation is the best defense against the pandemic, though the countries are still reeling from the virus despite the lack of physical cases. Tourism is hugely important in the region and hotels and beaches are lying empty. Some governments had hoped to reopen safe air corridors to Australia and New Zealand but recent flare ups in those countries have led to those plans being put on ice. There are still some hopes that an air connection can be established with Taiwan but the volatility of the virus makes that far from certain.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, more than 24.5 million people have been infected, and the global death toll is at least 834,000. More than 16 million patients have recovered.
Sources: statista
