Countries that have reported zero Coronavirus cases

While novel Coronavirus pandemic is paralyzing countries across the world, there are still handful countries that are reporting zero infected cases of the disease. According to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus resource center, there are approximately 15 countries worldwide that are yet not affected by the COVID-19 disease. These countries spared from the pandemic are spread across, Africa, Asia, and Pacific Island nations. There are no cases reported Antarctica also due to sparse human population. 

There are zero Coronavirus cases in eight island nations of Oceania, which are Soloman Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Palau, Nauru, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia. With a total population of less than 7 lakh people, most of these countries quickly isolated themselves from the rest of the world and announced national emergencies in the wake of the pandemic. Governments of these small Pacific Island nations are also working tirelessly to inform and educate the citizens about the health crisis and precautions needed to be taken to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

Asian countries with no reported COVID-19 cases include North Korea, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), North Korea is testing actively and has been under heavy quarantine. It took preventive steps as early as in January, sealed its borders with China and denied all travellers from entering the country.

Turkmenistan has banned the use of the word 'Coronavirus'. and has imposed reportedly imposed some internal restrictions. Tajikistan, on the other hand, imposed some external travel restrictions, blocking the entry of travelers from 35 COVID-19 hit countries in March. However, the government rolled back the decision after some time. The country has not yet called for a lock-down or ban on public events. Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon has also made appearances in large public gatherings without practicing physical distancing throughout March.

Two African have reported zero cases of the virus. Having geographical advantage, Lesotho and Comoros are working around the clock to protect their people from the pandemic. Both the countries are under lock-down and working with the WHO and other international organizations to test the citizens and safeguard them from the crisis. 

Most of the countries have largely benefited from their ongoing isolation from other countries. However, steps have been taken by these countries to ensure that the citizens continue to stay protected from the fatal disease. 

While 15 out of the total 195 countries have been able to protect themselves, rest of the world is struggling to fight the new Coronavirus.  The global cases of the disease have crossed 2.2 million, with the total death toll surpassing 154,000 as of April 18.