PORT VILA – Vanuatu today slapped travel restrictions on its most populous island after tests confirmed a body that washed ashore on the largely coronavirus-free Pacific nation was infected with Covid-19.
Government sources said the deceased was a Filipino sailor whose vessel left the capital here a day before his body was found washed up near a village about 5km outside the city on April 11.
The man’s crewmates and police officers who retrieved the body have all tested negative for the virus, said the sources, who requested anonymity.
It is not clear how or where the man died, or how his body ended up in the sea.
The Pacific island nation has recorded only three Covid-19 infections, all in arriving travellers, and the National Disaster Management Office said it is taking steps to ensure there is no transmission among the population of 200,000.
It ordered a three-day ban starting today on all outward domestic and international travel from Efete, the island where Port Vila and a large part of the population are located.
“(The) public is strongly advised to remain calm, and maintain safe and healthy hygiene practices at all times.” – AFP, April 19, 2021
