Page 12 - IB Dec 2020

Pacific People of the Year Pacific People of the Year

Palau Minister of Health, Emais Roberts (L), Olai Uludong (middle) and the Palau Laboratory Team (R).
KEEPING PALAU COVID-FREE

PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ECONOMY

By Bernadette H. Carreon flights via that route. health risks.
Minister Roberts said while the na- The Commander of Palau’s Emergency
It is almost the end of 2020 and Palau tion is reliant on tourism to spur its Operation Center- COVID-19 Response
has remained one of the handful of economy, Palau didn’t want to wait too Incident, Ritter Udui, said their line of
countries globally which have not regis- long to implement measures to keep the work meant they had been preparing for
tered a single case since the coronavirus virus out, as he knew keeping the bor- a pandemic. “We all knew that it would
outbreak was designated a pandemic in ders open for too long could have had a happen one day, we just didn’t realise
March. devastating impact on its people. the extent of the pandemic.”
For Palau’s Health Minister Emais “We asked ourselves, sacrifice the As a result, Palau’s health workers
Roberts and the frontliners, the secret economy or the people? We decided experienced mixed emotions, from be-
to success in keeping the virus at bay is that people are more important. We ing excited, to being anxious, to being
thinking ahead, strict quarantine mea- have to secure the people first and then scared.
sures and early border closures. we can always deal with the economy Udui said the National Emergency
It also helps that Minister Roberts is a later,” Roberts told Islands Business. Committee formed by the government,
practicing surgeon. While border closures have impacted helped to make sure MOH has also the
“This thing took us all by surprise tourism, construction of infrastructure resources, equipment and facilitates to
when it was declared back in March. for the upcoming ‘Our Oceans’ confer- deal with any COVID-19 cases.
Thinking back, there were several steps ence in Palau has spurred the economy. Deputy Incident Commander, Gaafar
we took even before WHO told us to Roberts said from the start, he urged Uherbelau said at the start of the global
close our borders.” President Tommy Remengesau Jr. to outbreak, Palau’s priority was to check
Roberts said he took the advice back follow science and not politics. Palau the borders and catch the virus to avoid
then of a former classmate that works also used Taiwan’s tough approach as a community transmission.
with the Center for Disease Control model for COVID restrictions. Uherbelau said they also sought to en-
(CDC). His classmate pointed out that Minister Roberts said along with sure the public knew what restrictions
given Palau’s isolation, lack of resources Taiwan, the US, Australia, Japan and were in place, and how those restric-
and small population, it was best to other foreign partners, the help of the tions would impact the community.
take proactive measures. Palau representative in the United Na- He said also while initial responses
“Thinking about it, Palau is very tions was critical in mobilising COVID-19 from the community had not been all
high risk compared to most of these test kits, supplies and equipment to be positive, the government leadership was
Pacific nations, we have direct flights flown to Palau via chartered aircraft. instrumental in amplifying the messages
from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, Palau’s Ambassador Olai Uludong said of the health sector and keeping the
Philippines and Guam. We have multiple she worked closely with the Ministry of community in the know.
entries.” Health and took their cues from Minister While Palau is still COVID-free,
As early as January, Palau closed its Roberts. “We always trust our doctors,” Minister Roberts, Udui and Uherbelau
borders to flights from mainland China. she said. urged the public not to be complacent
By March, flights from Korea, Japan, Minister Roberts said other essential and to do their part by staying informed
Taiwan and Philippines to Palau had frontline workers, including not only and following government guidelines on
stopped, as the virus spread globally. health workers but also airport work- hand washing and hand sanitising.
Once its closest neighbour Guam ers and police officers, are the unseen
started experiencing a surge in cases, heroes who are keeping Palau safe by editor@islandsbusiness.com
Palau decided it would not accept serving as gatekeepers despite the

12 Islands Business, December 2020