| COVID-19 pandemic in the Falkland Islands | |
|---|---|
 Location of the COVID-19 outbreak | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Falkland Islands |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, China |
| Index case | RAF Mount Pleasant |
| Arrival date | 3 April 2020 (5 years, 6 months, 2 weeks and 3 days) |
| Confirmed cases | 1,930[1] |
| Recovered | 1,930 |
| Government website | |
| COVID-19 @ F.I.G. | |
| Part ofa series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories andCrown Dependencies |
|---|
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| (Part of theglobal COVID-19 pandemic) |
Locations
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TheCOVID-19 pandemic in the Falkland Islands is part of theworldwide pandemic ofcoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused bysevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to be in theislands on 3 April 2020.[2] During the first wave, the number of cases peaked at 13, with all being from the military base atMount Pleasant leaving none from the general population. All 13 patients recovered.[3] On 10 November, a new case was discovered.[4] As of 4 May 2022[update] a total of 195 people were confirmed to have been infected.[5]
The Falkland Islands Infectious Diseases Plan set out stages for theCOVID-19 response. The Falkland Islands carried out robust preparations for COVID-19.[6] It was announced that measures may include:
There were no facilities to test for the virus on the Falklands and initially it took around ten days to get test results back from Britain, which is almost 8,000 miles away.[7] On 23 March, theArgentinian Government offered theBritish ambassador to Brazil medical supplies including COVID-19 tests,[8] but the Falklands did not follow up on the offer.[7] The Falklands had received the equipment to test locally,[9] and the laboratory was fully operational by 18 May.[10]
Date | # of cases | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-03 | ||||
| 2020-04-04 | ||||
| 2020-04-05 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-04-08 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-04-14 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-04-17 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-04-21 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-04-24 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-04-30 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-11-10 | ||||
| 2020-11-11 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-11-17 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-12-02 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-12-09 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-12-15 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2020-12-22 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-01-06 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-01-12 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-01-19 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-01-26 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-02-03 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-02-09 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-02-16 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-02-23 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-03-03 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-03-09 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-04-07 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-04-14 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-04-22 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-05-05 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-08-04 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-09-01 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-10-06 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-11-04 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2021-12-01 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-01-05 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-02-02 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-03-02 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-04-06 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-05-11 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-05-18 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-05-25 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-06-01 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-06-08 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-06-15 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-06-22 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-06-29 | ||||
| ⋮ | ||||
| 2022-07-06 | ||||
| Data sourced fromfig.gov.fk, andits facebook page. On 6 July, 2022, Falkland Islands published the last monthly report they entered the "endemic state" The testing lag often results gaps in the chart, because the results were still pending. | ||||
On 19 March 2020, around 238 people were flown off the islands on a plane bound forCórdoba,Argentina.[11]
The Falkland Islands government confirmed it had had contact with theUnited Kingdom concerning the pandemic.[12] It advised tourists and foreigners to leave the archipelago as it could not guarantee further flights leaving the islands, whilst cruise ships reaching the Falklands would only be allowed to dock if passengers had been on board for at least ten days and if none had developed symptoms of COVID-19, with travel between the islands of the Falklands heavily restricted, and social distancing measures put in place.[13]
On 23 March 2020, Argentina said it had reached out to Britain's ambassador inBuenos Aires to offer material support to the islands.[14]
On 26 March 2020, the islands' government closed all schools and nurseries until 4 May 2020.[15] Two days later, it was confirmed that a child was critically ill with suspected COVID-19 and was being treated ata hospital inStanley.[16]
On 3 April 2020, the first case in the islands was officially confirmed.[2] All schools and nurseries were closed and all workers not deemed critical told to stay at home.[17] On 5 April 2020, a second case was confirmed.[18] On 8 April 2020, there were five cases and one recovery, all serving at theMount Pleasant Complex. 137 people were tested until that day.[19] On 14 April 2020, there were 11 cases and one recovery.[20]
By 15 April 2020, 255 samples had been processed. Additional measures were put in place, and journeys from and to Mount Pleasant Complex needed to be approved.[21] On 17 April 2020, a set of measures was announced for individuals and business and includes among others, a job retention scheme, unemployment subsidy, non-repayable grants to businesses.[22] On 23 April 2020, it was announced that the Falkland Islands would be able to test for COVID-19 the following week when testing machines were due to arrive. 337 samples had been sent to theUnited Kingdom.[23]
On 27 April 2020, the prices of wool had dropped 50% compared to the previous year. The prices had already been in decline, but the remaining drop was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[24] On 29 April 2020, it was announced that price of electricity per unit for all consumers would be decreased from £23 to £18 from 1 May 2020 onwards.[25]
On 30 April 2020, it was announced that all 13 cases in the islands had recovered.[3]
On 1 May 2020, an easing of restrictions was announced: schools and businesses would be allowed to reopen on 11 May, and the travel restriction betweenStanley and Mount Pleasant would remain in effect.[9] On 15 May 2020, further easing of restrictions for travel between the islands had been announced.[26]
On 6 July 2020, new quarantine regulations came into effect for the Falkland Islands. Visitors to the islands had to provide information about their journey and where they would be staying. A mandatory 14-day isolation had to be observed on arrival. Military personnel who have completed quarantine in the United Kingdom were exempted.[27]
On 10 November 2020, a new case was discovered. The case was from a civilian who was in quarantine.[4] A total of four new cases were confirmed during thissecond wave of the pandemic in the islands until 2 December 2020.[28] All four cases were confirmed as recovered on 9 December 2020.[29] Six new cases were also confirmed later on 15 December[30] and on 22 December 2020.[31]
On 12 January 2021, the Falkland Islands Government announced that it was expected to receive 5,200 doses of theAZD1222 vaccine developed byOxford University andAstraZeneca during February 2021.[32] On 24 February, the islands received their second shipment of doses from the United Kingdom, totaling 2,200 doses of AZD1222.[33]
On 29 June 2022 theKing Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH) announced that the COVID-19 virus was consideredendemic in the Falkland Islands due to low infection rates. Patients were no longer required to report symptoms or positive test results to the KEMH. Self-quarantining remained advised for symptomatic individuals.[34]
The chart shows the development of the pandemic starting from 3 April 2020, representing changes in net number of cases, based on the number of cases reported in the Falkland Islands Government reports.
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