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world news Diasabra 29 Januari 2022

COVID hits one of the last uninfected places on the planet

(AP) — When the coronavi- “Generally speaking, it’s in-
rus began spreading around evitable. It will get to every
the world, the remote Pacific corner of the world,” said
archipelago of Kiribati closed Helen Petousis-Harris, a vac-
its borders, ensuring the dis- cine expert at the University
ease didn’t reach its shores of Auckland in New Zea-
for nearly two full years. land. “It’s a matter of buying
enough time to prepare and
Kiribati finally began reopen- getting as many people vac-
ing this month, allowing the cinated as possible.”
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints to charter a Only 33% of Kiribati’s
plane to bring home 54 of the 113,000 people are fully vac-
island nation’s citizens. Many cinated, while 59% have had
of those aboard were mis- at least one dose, according
sionaries who had left Kiri- to the online scientific pub-
bati before the border closure lication Our World in Data.
to spread the faith abroad for And like many other Pacific
what is commonly known as nations, Kiribati offers only
the Mormon church. basic health services. cific nations, including Kiri- countries. In October, a missionary re-
bati, where its 20,000 mem- turning to Tonga from ser-
Officials tested each return- Dr. Api Talemaitoga, who bers make it the third-largest Church spokesperson Sam vice in Africa was reported as
ing passenger three times in chairs a network of Indig- Christian denomination. The Penrod said the returning the country’s first — and so
nearby Fiji, required that they enous Pacific Island doctors church has about 53,000 mis- missionaries remained in far only — positive case after
be vaccinated, and put them in New Zealand, said Kiribati sionaries serving full time quarantine, were cooperating flying home via New Zea-
in quarantine with additional had only a couple of inten- around the world, working to with local health authorities land. Like those returning to
testing when they arrived sive care beds in the entire convert people. and would be released from Kiribati, he also was vaccinat-
home. nation, and in the past relied their service upon comple- ed and quarantined.
on sending its sickest patients The pandemic has presented tion of their quarantine.
It wasn’t enough. to Fiji or New Zealand for challenges for their mission- Tonga is desperately trying
treatment. ary work, which is consid- “With Kiribati’s borders be- to prevent any outbreaks as
More than half the passen- ered a rite of passage for men ing closed since the onset of it recovers from a devastating
gers tested positive for the He said that given the limita- as young as 18 and women as the pandemic, many of these volcanic eruption and tsu-
virus, which has now slipped tions of Kiribati’s health sys- young as 19. individuals have continued nami earlier this month. The
out into the community and tem, his first reaction when as missionaries well beyond nation of 105,000 has been
prompted the government to he heard about the outbreak As the pandemic ebbed and their 18 to 24 months of an- receiving aid from around
declare a state of disaster. An was, “Oh, my lord.” flowed, the church respond- ticipated service, with some the world but has requested
initial 36 positive cases from ed. It recalled about 26,000 serving as long as 44 months,” that crews from incoming
the flight had ballooned to Kiribati has now opened missionaries who were serv- he said. military ships and planes
181 cases by Friday. multiple quarantine sites, de- ing overseas in June 2020, drop their supplies and leave
clared a curfew and imposed reassigning them to prosely- Before this month’s outbreak, without having any contact
Kiribati and several other lockdowns. President Taneti tize online from home before Kiribati had reported just two with those on the ground.
small Pacific nations were Maamau said on social media sending some back out into virus cases: crew members on
among the last places on the that the government is us- the field five months later. an incoming cargo ship that “They’ve got enough on their
planet to have avoided any vi- ing all its resources to man- ultimately wasn’t permitted hands without compounding
rus outbreaks, thanks to their age the situation, and urged When COVID-19 vaccines to dock. it with the spread of CO-
remote locations and strict people to get vaccinated. became widely available in VID,” said Petousis-Harris,
border controls. But their many countries in April 2021, But the Kiribati charter flight the vaccine expert. “Anything
defenses appear no match The Church of Jesus Christ church officials encouraged wasn’t the first time mission- they can do to keep it out is
against the highly contagious of Latter-day Saints, based in all missionaries to get inocu- aries returning home to a Pa- going to be important. COV-
omicron variant. the U.S. state of Utah, has a lated and required it of those cific island nation tested posi- ID would be just compound-
strong presence in many Pa- serving outside their home tive for COVID-19. ing that disaster.”

Austin says Putin now has full range of options in Ukraine

(AP) — Defense Secretary border has reached the tary options, including ac- room for compromise on its air forces but also cyber and
Lloyd Austin said Friday point where President tions short of a full-scale demands. electronic warfare capabili-
the buildup of Russian Vladimir Putin now has invasion. ties, as well as special opera-
forces along Ukraine’s a complete range of mili- Austin said Putin could use tions forces. He urged Putin
“While we don’t believe that any portion of his force of to choose a diplomatic path
President Putin has made a an estimated 100,000 troops over conflict.
final decision to use these to seize Ukrainian cities and
forces against Ukraine, he “significant territories” or to “If Russia chooses to invade
clearly now has the capabil- launch “coercive acts or pro- Ukraine, it will not be cost-
ity,” Austin told a Pentagon vocative political acts” like free, in terms of casualties
news conference. the recognition of breakaway and other significant effects,”
territories inside Ukraine. Milley said. He was referring
In Moscow, the Kremlin said He urged Putin to de-esca- to Russian costs, while also
Putin told French President late the tensions. noting that Ukraine’s armed
Emmanuel Macron that the forces are more capable to-
West has failed to take Rus- Austin spoke alongside Army day than in 2014 when Rus-
sian security concerns into Gen. Mark Milley, chairman sia seized Ukraine’s Crimean
account, and Russian Foreign of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peninsula and intervened in
Minister Sergey Lavrov told a who said Russian forces near support of pro-Russian sepa-
radio interviewer that Russia Ukraine include not only ratists in the eastern indus-
doesn’t want war but sees no ground troops and naval and trial heartland.