While the rest of us continue to grapple with the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, these 10 countries have managed to successfully eliminate and declare themselves COVID-19 free. Read on to know which countries made it to the list. By Amitha Ameen
1. New Zealand
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New Zealand’s last new case was reported almost 17 days ago; during this period 40,000 people have been tested. The country had gone into a 75-day lockdown after a little over 1,500 people contracted the virus and 22 people died. After the last known infected patient was treated and discharged, the country began to slowly ease out its containment measures, while continuing to keep its borders closed.
2. Tanzania
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Tanzanian President John Magufuli declared the country as COVID-19 free and thanked the prayers made by the citizens for the country’s victory against the virus. The country had a confirmed 509 cases with 183 recoveries and 21 reported deaths.
3. Montenegro
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The last European country to report a case of the Coronavirus was also one of the first few to declare itself COVID-19 free. The country whose first case was reported in March went into an immediate lockdown by closing businesses, implementing social guidelines, and making masks mandatory. With the Corona scare out of the way, the country has even reopened its land borders with neighbours Serbia, Kosovo and Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, and Herzegovina.
4. Eritrea
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The second East African country, along with Tanzania, to declare itself COVID-19 free was Eritrea. Home to six million people, the country’s first case was reported in March, after which it went into lockdown. Eritrea has had zero active cases since mid-March.
5. Fiji
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The ‘heart of the Pacific Ocean,’ Fiji has declared itself as COVID-19 free after its last known infected person was treated and discharged. The island nation, home to around a million people continue to follow the necessary guidelines, owing to a high-risk possibility of a second-wave of the virus.
6. Papua New Guinea
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Another pacific nation apart from Fiji that declared itself Corona-free was Papua New Guinea. Although home to 8.9 million people, the country only reported a meagre 8 cases all thanks to the government’s strict restrictions and bans of public transport and gatherings.
7. Seychelles
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This archipelagic island country is home to 97,096 people and reported its first case on March 14. The total number of cases on the island was 11 and all have been treated and discharged. Prior to this, the country had placed a temporary ban on cruise ships and travel to certain countries including but not limited to China and Italy, followed by a travel ban in April.
8. Saint Kitts and Nevis
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This island country in the West Indies had 15 confirmed cases, all of whom recovered. While the first case was recorded in March, the country was quickly able to flatten the curve by shutting airports, educational institutions, and non-essential businesses along with making masks mandatory and implementing strict social measures.
9. Holy See
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The Holy See or See of Rome is a Vatican City-state in Europe. The country had acted swiftly and closed off all of its tourist attractions and announced that it had zero cases from June 6 onwards.
10. East Timor
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Timor-Leste or East Timor had closed its borders as early as February which resulted in the country being able to declare itself COVID-19 free. The country’s first case was reported in March and its last and 24th patient had recovered and been released on May 15.
Related: Cyprus Will Cover Medical Costs Of Tourists Infected With Coronavirus
