Border closure for island nations? Analysis of pandemic and bioweapon‐related threats suggests some scenarios warrant drastic action

Potential lessons from the Taiwan and New Zealand health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

“…So what can countries (in particular high-income countries) learn directly from the COVID-19 experience in Taiwan and New Zealand? There are many areas that need to be developed to inform the response to the current COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare for the next pandemic, which could be even more severe [48] . Our recommendations are as follows: Establish or strengthen a dedicated national public health agency to manage both prevention and control of pandemics and other public health threats.…”

Elimination could be the optimal response strategy for covid-19 and other emerging pandemic diseases

“…• Revise WHO reporting processes and standards to accurately represent the covid-19 elimination status of countries, notably to distinguish imported cases (who acquired their infections outside that country and are in isolation/quarantine facilities) from those in the community and to report if they have achieved elimination (box 1) and the date this was reached • Develop a process for review of country progress towards elimination to facilitate quarantine-free movement between countries meeting agreed standards (analogous to the verification approach applied to elimination of diseases such as polio, measles, and rubella) • Identify conditions and infrastructure needs to support an elimination approach at national and subnational levels (for example, by state and territory in Australia) • Develop evidence informed guidelines for approaches that countries can use to engage populations in disease elimination programmes, including partnerships with at-risk groups in pandemic strategy decision making; ensuring transparency and accountability; effective public communication • Establish a network of agencies to share scientific knowledge about the elimination approach • Revise pandemic plans to reflect the role of elimination as a potential method for responding to future severe pandemic disease threats, including pandemic influenza. These plans could include a typology of strategic response options (fig 1) and guidelines to help select an optimal approach (including exclusion strategies 22 ).…”

“…Revise pandemic plans to reflect the role of elimination as a potential method for responding to future severe pandemic disease threats, including pandemic influenza. These plans could include a typology of strategic response options (fig 1) and guidelines to help select an optimal approach (including exclusion strategies22).…”

Are We Better-Off? The Benefits and Costs of Australian COVID-19 Lockdown

“…When compared with other countries, Australia has fared much better in COVID-19 outcomes, having experienced low COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths. Although it is difficult to know with certainty what and to what degree led to these advantageous outcomes, many attributed this success to the early implementation of strict border closure limiting cross-border transmission and being an Island nation (1)(2)(3). Australia has been proceeding with the elimination strategy aiming to contain and crush emerging outbreaks quickly through a suite of public health interventions, with lockdowns playing a central role.…”

“…At the beginning of the pandemic, most countries followed and defended the implementation of lockdowns, with the early calculations suggesting that benefits far outweigh the costs (3)(4)(5). Some empirical studies also observed heterogeneity in the effectiveness of lockdowns and advocated for a careful consideration of demographic, economic, and societal factors before implementing stay-athome orders, especially in developing countries in which many people rely on day-to-day economic resources (6,7).…”