COVID-free no more: Pandemic finally reaches Antarctica
COVID-19 has now spread to all of Earth's seven continents, after dozens of cases were reported this week in Antarctica.
Chilean media reported on Monday that 36 cases of the coronavirus were detected at the country's Bernardo O'Higgins base on the Antarctic Peninsula – 26 military personnel and 10 civilian contractors who were engaged in maintenance operations.
The Chilean army, which operates the base and three others, said contact-tracing measures were taking place, and those infected were in isolation in Punta Arenas, in Tierra del Fuego.
On Tuesday, Chilean authorities announced 21 people aboard the supply vessel that serviced the base had tested positive for COVID-19, as had one person in Villa Las Estrellas, a village on King George Island off the Antarctic Peninsula that serves another nearby Chilean base.
Up until this week's reported outbreaks, Antarctica had been the only continent that was COVID-19-free for the duration of the pandemic.
The continent does not belong to any nation, but several countries have made territorial claims there, it is home to multiple manned research bases, with a total population of up to 5,000 in the summertime. Base personnel are rotated out periodically.
COVID-19 has been a worry for planners, since the continent's remoteness makes seeking advanced medical care difficult. With cold temperatures guaranteed even in the Antarctic summer, base staff spend much of their time in cramped quarters indoors, making social distancing very difficult.
