Maintain that status
Here is a good question to ponder, in the wake of almost a year of a pandemic. Why has the Federated Staes of Micronesia remained COVID-19 free? Let's go back for a bit, first.
In March of 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Even before the pandemic was declared, the FSM declared a public health emergency on January 31, 2020. Pohnpei State and all the other States restricted disembarkation in March 2020 for all incoming flights with their state-specific emergency orders/resolutions. Subsequent amendments at the state and national level resolutions/orders allowed for emergency and humanitarian flights and vessels to arrive with certain restrictions. However, the entire nation has been on lockdown since March of 2020.
In the interim and up until today, the country has continued moving forward. International cargo flights and vessels continue to bring in much-needed cargo and goods. Human remains have been allowed to return, unaccompanied. Preparations for repatriation have been made. Attempts at repatriation have been made.
The most recent repatriation attempt was aimed at medical referral patients returning from the Philippines and stuck in Guam. They had started the 14 pre-quarantine processes (including temperature checks and COVID19 testing) in Guam and were approaching their return home, on December 5, in time for the holidays when the FSM National Government indefinitely postponed the repatriation flight. President Panuelo explained the decision in a press release:
"My decision to indefinitely postpone this first repatriation flight stems entirely from safety concerns, some of which are due to an emerging capacity shortfall issue with our healthcare responders at the Pohnpei State Hospital. I have demanded an airtight repatriation regime, and I have been briefed on possible if unlikely, scenarios that could result in COVID-19 spreading into the community. I cannot and will not allow that to happen.”
This is the main reason why there are no COVID-19 cases in the FSM.
Correction, on the above "first repatriation flight". There was a scheduled repatriation flight from Guam on August 8 that was canceled and one from the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) that was canceled as well.
Meanwhile in the Harbor
Meanwhile, the MV Caroline Voyager sits in Pohnpei waters, waiting. The crew is waiting to get off the boat and go home. They left Japan, a COVID-19 infected country on November 4 on their way to Pohnpei, but according to some sources have been quarantining since September. On or about November 18, they arrived in Pohnpei waters. The crew spent 14 days at sea, with no contact, temperatures were monitored and recorded, while at sea. No fevers were reported. Since arriving in Pohnpei waters, they have been in quarantine on board their vessel. Pohnpei Public Health Officials have tested and checked the crew. They have completed 14 days of quarantine in their vessel in Pohnpei waters.
If these crew members can observe 14 days quarantine at sea, after leaving a COVID-19 infected country, and then another 14 days at anchorage in Pohnpei waters without any positive cases, bring them home! They are already home, in Pohnpei waters.
But, what about the postponed repatriation flight? If the reason for not returning our medical referrals from Guam was because of a shortfall of healthcare responders, what about our crew from Japan? If the crew of Caroline Voyager completes all the quarantine and testing requirements, but there is a shortfall of healthcare responders, do they just stay on their boat? Indefinitely?
What works, works
We hope all return home. The pre-14-day quarantine process with testing, followed by the on-island 14-day quarantine process has been proven effective. Palau has repatriated hundreds of their citizens using this process, and remain COVID-19 free. RMI has repatriated its first batch of citizens, using this process, from the USA with no positive cases identified, yet.
The caution and concern from our President are admirable. He has a lot on his shoulders and we applaud his decisions. We also know that the pre-14-day quarantine scheme works. We trust that our leaders will work together to take some bold and calculated steps to bring our people home.
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