24 December 2020
Author: Rui Graça Feijó, University of Coimbra
Timor-Leste is a surprising success story in the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As of mid-December 2020, the country had recognised a total of just 31 cases and it is one of the few nations to have not reported a single casualty.
This success is all the more remarkable given that Timor-Leste’s public health facilities are fragile Dili’s national hospital had only one ventilator in March. Private medicine is all but absent and basic rules of social distancing defy everyday practices. Mask wearing and hand hygiene are also difficult to implement.