Southeast Asian Microstate Brunei Records Zero Local COVID-19 Cases for Over One Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The small Southeast Asian country of Brunei has recorded zero local COVID-19 infections over the past year.

According to the Brunei Ministry of Health on the 18th, it has been 377 days since the last local community infection was confirmed on May 6 of last year.

At the time of the last local infection, the cumulative confirmed cases were 141, and the 91 cases confirmed afterward were all people who entered the country from abroad.

The total confirmed cases in Brunei stand at 232. Among them, 3 have died, 222 have recovered, and the remaining 7 are receiving treatment in isolation hospitals.

Located in the northern part of Borneo Island, Brunei is half the size of Gyeonggi Province and has a population of 460,000.

After the first confirmed case on March 9 last year, the Brunei government closed its borders and required all citizens to register on the government health app (BruHealth), mandating QR code scans when entering Islamic mosques, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets, and other places, ensuring strict management.

As a result, the transmission of the COVID-19 virus among Brunei nationals has remained at zero for over a year.

Brunei currently prohibits overseas travel for its citizens and residents except in urgent situations, and only allows entry to those who have received prior approval.

Recently, as more transmissible variant viruses spread in South Asia, Brunei completely banned entry of travelers from India starting on the 27th of last month, and added Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to the list of banned countries.

Additionally, it announced yesterday that all citizens and residents, except those holding diplomatic passports, are prohibited from visiting these five countries.