Suva (Fiji) (AFP)
By closing their borders, the South Pacific Nations have managed to avoid the coronavirus epidemic, but their economies are on the ground. Hence a difficult choice: should we continue to barricade ourselves, or make tourists return, with the health threat they represent?
Governments around the world are thinking about deconfining and lifting catastrophic restrictions on jobs and growth.
But it is probably in the South Pacific that the debate between health imperatives and economic necessities is most complicated.
Most of these archipelagos have avoided the spread of a virus which would instantly have sunk their hospital capacities.
A dozen island nations have not registered any cases of Covid-19 because they immediately closed their borders to avoid the importation of the coronavirus. Fiji is an exception with 18 contaminations. But the Fijian authorities are hopeful that the epidemic will be brought to a halt.
The economic impact has been catastrophic for all these countries which are very dependent on tourism. For some, tourism income constitutes 50% of the GDP.
- "Zero income" -
From the start of the crisis, the planes were grounded. Without tourists, the hotel industry plunged.
"When Australia closed its borders to international travelers, it only took three days for our hotel revenue to drop to zero," said Elizabeth Pechan, co-owner of The Havannah, Vanuatu, in a post.
Some media report that in Vanuatu, 70% of jobs related to the tourism sector alone have disappeared.
And the poor countries of the Pacific have no common central bank that could unlock regional aid plans.
Some have advanced the idea of including these islands in the "bubble" reflected by Australians and New Zealanders, a common space within which nationals of the two countries would have no quarantine to observe while crossing the Sea of Tasman. But there is no consensus on this idea.
"There is a huge risk if the Covid-19 reaches the Pacific island nations that are not currently affected," said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after meeting with Australian counterpart Scott Morrison .
"We think that small pockets like ours, currently spared the virus, could work with other countries in the region in the same situation, taking the maximum precautions," argues the head of the tourist office Cook Islands, Halatoa Fua.
- "Anguish" -
Many of the inhabitants of these islands suffer from diabetes or heart problems, which would make them particularly vulnerable in the event of contamination.
In the absence of direct air links with Australia or New Zealand, the Minister of Tourism of Palau F. Umiich Sengebau considered that it would be better for his archipelago to create a bubble with Taiwan. Palau is one of the rare countries in the world to still recognize Taiwan.
"It is an ingenious idea that we must consider with a country like Taiwan, which has done a very good job in managing the Covid-19 epidemic," he said.
"It would be mutually beneficial because tourists from Taiwan want to go to Palau on vacation and Palau residents go to Taiwan for medical treatment and tourism."
But in many Pacific islands, the issue is far from a priority.
"For now, the Solomon government's priority is to finalize preparedness for the epidemic, including testing, and to facilitate the repatriation of citizens to the region," said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
The total eradication of the disease in Australia, New Zealand or Taiwan is improbable, which means that everywhere the ability to test, trace contacts and isolate the sick will be essential.
As a sign of the magnitude of the task, the Marshall Islands Secretary of Health, Jack Niedenthal, deemed it premature to even discuss the establishment of a bubble.
"The simple fact of saying + maybe + could generate anxiety among the population that nobody needs," he said.
© 2020 AFP