"Confirmed Cases Increase by 789%"... 'COVID-Free Country' Marshall Islands Declare State of Emergency

Marshall Islands beach. Photo by Google Maps, Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] Even the Pacific island nation of the Marshall Islands, which had been a COVID-19 safe zone, has now been hit directly by the virus.

According to the international statistics site Worldometer on the 15th (local time), the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Marshall Islands was recorded at 569 the previous day. The total population of the Marshall Islands is 59,000.

This is a 789% increase compared to 64 cases five days earlier. Until last month, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the Marshall Islands remained around 10, but it sharply increased to 55 on the 9th of this month.

According to BBC, the Marshall Islands government has acknowledged community transmission, meaning the virus is spreading domestically rather than being imported from outside. The government declared a public health emergency and introduced various public health measures, including suspending school classes.

The trend of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the Marshall Islands since the start of community transmission. Photo by Worldometer, an international statistics site

The broadcast noted that until last week, there were no signs of a major outbreak in the Marshall Islands.

The Marshall Islands was one of the last countries unaffected by COVID-19 until two confirmed cases occurred in October 2020. Therefore, starting in September this year, it had announced plans to ease border controls, including reducing quarantine periods for arrivals.

However, as cases surged, church services were canceled and restaurants became quiet, with residents reportedly choosing to stay home voluntarily. Jack Niedenthal, the Marshall Islands Minister of Health, urged people to notify hospitals if they feel severely unwell.

There has been no information yet regarding follow-up measures such as lockdown orders in the Marshall Islands.

Meanwhile, according to the CSSE 'COVID19 daily reports' compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as of 2 p.m. on the 15th, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide reached 592,699,977, with a total of 6,446,587 deaths. The mortality rate is 1.1%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.