Palau loses virus-free status with first Covid cases

Published
0

The tiny Pacific nation of Palau has reported its first cases of the coronavirus, losing its prized status as one of the world's few Covid-free countries, reports AFP.

Two travellers, who tested positive after arriving from Guam, have been placed in quarantine along with their known contacts.

“We urge everyone to remain calm,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement after deciding against imposing lockdown measures.

Until Saturday, Palau was just one of 14 countries in the world that had recorded no virus cases at all, according to the World Health Organisation.

Opinion

Editorial

Risks ahead
Updated 02 Oct, 2026

Risks ahead

To think that the government would rather push out an elected government than grant a single prisoner some facilities does not square up rationally.
Exit from Iraq
02 Oct, 2026

Exit from Iraq

AMERICAN and British troops have once again shipped out of Iraq. On Wednesday, the foreign forces left the Arab...
Lahore’s ozone warning
02 Oct, 2026

Lahore’s ozone warning

LAHORE has received another warning that its air pollution crisis cannot be treated as a problem that begins with...
Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...