How these countries remained COVID-free a year into the pandemic

April was the cruellest month TS Eliotrsquos famous line from his epic verse The Waste Land come to mind as we look back at the month gone by India stands ravaged by the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic Starving for hope midday decided it would turn to lands which though currently beyond our reach thanks to travel restrictions have remained COVIDfree since the world got caught in the virusrsquos grip 13 months agoPalau Tonga Kiribati and Tuvalu and Samoamdashall island nationsmdashhave been shut off from the world and resolutely remain diseasefree This has mostly been possible because they shut their borders right after news of the pandemic trickled in and they havenrsquot opened up yet MapUday MohiteWe began our search on Instagram for the best pictures emerging out of these places to help us imagine a different world for ourselves connecting with both locals and tourists to give you a sense of the life there Read and be transportedlsquoThe island has only one health centrersquoTuvaluSouth Pacific Island OceaniaPopulation 11646Storyteller Elisabeth Thouvenin 22 writer and French teacherI was soul travelling and reached Tuvalu to write an essay on how the sea levels are rising due to climate change I think I made it out on the last boat before they shut their borders I have been in Fiji since then Tuvalu had to close its borders as they have only one health centre on the island which canrsquot take the pressure of a pandemic I canrsquot even call it a hospital People who fall seriously ill are usually taken to Fiji or New Zealand Tuvalu is marked by a community lifestyle where everyone knows everyone So if one person had got the infection it wouldrsquove spread through the island swiftly In Fiji people were roaming without masks until two weeks ago when a few people got it here Everyone has suffered due to the loss of tourism What has happened now is that the expensive resorts are welcoming locals at affordable prices Thatrsquos one positive thing to have emerged out of this locals can afford a lsquoholidayrsquo they never couldlsquoThey couldnrsquot handle a measles outbreakrsquoIndependent State Of SamoaPolynesian countryPopulation 197 lakhStoryteller Mike Karas 36 photographerSamoa is a lush beautiful island but I find it strange that not many people know about it I visited the place last year and for most part it was empty and isolated There are barely any good pictures of the island online as it doesnrsquot see as many travellers They have shut their borders for now as their medical infrastructure is poor and itrsquos likely that they wonrsquot be able to cope with a COVID19 outbreak When I was there last year they had a measles outbreak and the situation was worrying with just that The locals have been through a lot But they are friendly and happygolucky just like people in HawaiiMike KaraslsquoWersquove had mini lockdowns but only to prepare for when the virus does comersquoTongaSouth Pacific Island OceaniaPopulation 104 lakhStoryteller Kimberly Hoyla 29 accountantI am from the Philippines but I have been in Tonga ever since the lockdown in March 2020mdashthatrsquos when they locked the borders I came to work here on a contract basis in an accounting firm and have been here ever since There are no definite plans on when the country will open up They have now started vaccinating the population as well All through last year we have lived through minilockdowns not because infections spread but in order to prepare the locals just in case Coronavirus gets here Right now as well there is a curfew in place at night Though there are no COVID19 cases everyone has been following social distancing rules Tonga relies heavily on tourism and that industry has unfortunately come to a grinding halt So most people are surviving on financial aid from the government which is coming from richer nations Right now as I talk to you Irsquom hanging out with my friends Life hereis good and quiet for now We hope it stays that waylsquoWe are spending our life in the waterrsquoPalauSouth Pacific ArchipelagoPopulation 18008Storyteller Lovina Wu 28 fashion editor with Tatler TaiwanPalau is currently only open to tourists from Taiwan I went there in the beginning of April with a group of 100 people It was very strict theremdashonly a few designated spots are open to tourists and we were kept far from the mainland We were all made to take the COVID test when we got here following which breath tests and temperature checks were done three times a day The people are very friendly and even though they wear their masks around us outsiders they are not hostile They are just being careful Itrsquos a lovely place to rest and snorkel We are basically spending our life in the waterlsquoHardly anyone bothers coming herersquoRepublic Of KiribatiSouth Pacific Island OceaniaPopulation 118 lakhStoryteller Joave Cakau 28 bloggerI have a lot of friends and family in Kiribati and itrsquos been a location thatrsquos a constant in my life It has remained safe because it is secluded and in the middle of nowhere Itrsquos hard to even get here as there are just too many flights to catch So very few people come on the island even for a vacation and thatrsquos probably why it has remained diseasefree The economy is built mostly around fishing Healthcare isnrsquot the best and I doubt it wouldrsquove been able to tackle a COVID19 outbreak