COVID-19 pandemic in Arola

The COVID-19 pandemic in Arola is part of the worldwide pandemic of the (COVID-19). The first COVID-19 case in Arola was reported and confirmed in Kelvia on 22nd February 2020, when an Arolan citizen came into contact with an American tourist who visited China in the past 14 days.

January 2020
Following the first transmission of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus globally, the Arolan Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in January 2020 that it will suspend flights to and from China entering the country, with Air Arola suspending operations in China and all Chinese airlines temporarily banned from using Arola's airports. Initially, only people who displayed flu-like symptoms were required to wear a mask, it was not mandatory at the time.

February 2020
In mid-February 2020, some villagers in the Yunkars village of the Pudas province suspected an American tourist getting COVID-19 as he had flu-like symptoms, which caused a number of conspiracy theory videos on and VidSpace. However, the Arolan government deemed it as false as there was no sufficient evidence of an upcoming outbreak.

However, on 22nd February 2020, the MOH confirmed their first case in Kelvia, the same American tourist who visited Yunkars. The MOH then put a travel advisory warning at all train stations, bus stations and capital checkpoints, as well as a full lockdown in Yunkars until no villagers were tested negative for two consecutive days.

On 23rd February, the MOH suspected 87 people had been in contact with the virus.

On 26th February, there were over 109 reported cases in the country on that day, a first for Arola and the highest in any Nordic country.

On 29th February, the MOH formed a multi-ministry taskforce, identical to the one used in Singapore. The taskforce announced their new alert system in four key stages (see below for more details) on the same day.

March 2020
On 1st March, the MOH began to quarantine infected patients with symptoms, as well as changing the mask rule to apply to situations where social distancing cannot be practised.

On 3rd March, a large stampede formed in the Kasala Retail Park, largely caused by. A total of 188 people were crushed to death in the mall, including 16 security officers who attempted to enforce safe management measures. In response, the MOH and the multi-ministry taskforce regarded about the negative effects of panic buying and not following safe management measures that same evening. No one was arrested or prosecuted due to the disastrous situation. By the end of March, the average daily number of reported cases exceeded 1,000, causing public worries about the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 2020
On 1st April 2020, the Arolan Ministry of Health announced a nationwide lockdown from 5th April, with the lockdown initially expected to last until 29th May.

On 4th April, the Arolan government began issuing cease-and-desist letters to all restaurant and KTV establishments, as well as closing down all of Arola's airports, but limited cargo operations were still permitted. Schools in Arola continued per normal, except that the remaining part of Q4 is shifted online and the bimonthly ungraded tests were cancelled.

On 13th April, the first decrease in daily cases were reported, with the number dropping from 1,763 to 1,287 in a day. The MOH also announced on the same day that if the number of daily cases reached below 500 by 29th May, the lockdown would resume normal.

May 2020
On 22nd May, the MOH extended the lockdown indefinitely, after daily cases continued to remain above 500.

Fearing the possibility of another lockdown extension, most people started to completely isolate themselves with any supply of food they had left.

June 2020
On 25th June, the number of daily cases dropped to 498, barely surpassing the 500 cases mark. However, cases increased back to 501 the next day.

On 29th June, the Arolan government announced that all upcoming Arolan Day parades and celebrations will be broadcast on television or via live streaming and access to the venues would be strictly prohibited.

July 2020
On 13th July, the number of daily cases suddenly fell from 614 to 288, the highest decrease of COVID-19 cases in the country as of October 2021.

The next day on 14th July, the Arolan government announced that from July 29th, the lockdown would be lifted. However, new measures were announced, including but not limited to:


 * Mandatory wearing of mask from 29th July
 * Every person to display their Winky card/passport/identity card at various locations (i.e. shopping malls, parades, internet cafes, markets, grocery stores, taverns, cinemas)
 * No going out of province or going overseas unless for essential travel

On 29th July, the lockdown was officially lifted.

December 2020
On 13th December, the Arolan government authorised vaccination of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, to be rolled-out progressively from late January 2021, despite roll-out being delayed due to the Delta variant a couple of months later.

February 2021
On 23rd February, the multi-ministry taskforce and Arolan prime minister Liisa Makkonen jointly announced a second lockdown on 23rd February due to the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant spreaading in four countries. The country then shifted to Stage 3 effective immediately, followed by a full lockdown on the 26th.

March 2021
On 19th March, the multi-ministry taskforce finally announced that vaccination will extend beyond essential workers to the age group of 70-80 years old.

On 24th March, after several people refused to turn up for vaccinations, the Arolan government made COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for each individual age group. This proved effective and lowered the number of cases.

July 2021
On 9th July, vaccination was extended to children between the ages of 12 to 16, after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for that age group.

August 2021
On 17th August, all of Arola's population above the age of 12 had been vaccinated and the number of cases hit zero for four consecutive days.

On 19th August, in a clarification by the multi-ministry taskforce, the Arolan government had no plans to lift the lockdown until the Delta variant stopped spreading.

October 2021
On 12th October, Singapore added Arola to its Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) program, to commence on 13th December. The multi-ministry taskforce subsequently confirmed to lift the lockdown in December to "Relaxed Stage 4", which implemented Stage 3 measures while only allowing vaccinated Singapore tourists to enter and leave the country. The Arolan government also confirmed that Singaporean tourists visiting places in Arola can display their identity card or TraceTogether Token as proof of entry for contact tracing.

Current alert system
Arola's COVID-19 alert system is sometimes known as the "Four Key Stages" in media. The system was first announced on 29th February 2020 by the multi-ministry taskforce.

Stage 1: COVID-19 is mild and not spreading in Arola

 * No restrictions in domestic and international transport
 * If you're sick, stay at home in a well-ventilated room and maintain good personal hygiene
 * Wash your hands with soap frequently, regardless of symptoms
 * Cough and sneeze with a handkerchief, if not use elbow
 * All non-essential places to remain open

Stage 2: COVID-19 is severe but not spreading in Arola

 * Tighter restrictions in domestic and international transport (i.e. border control, limited number of vehicles allowed to pass capital checkpoints, more temporary healthcare facilities to be set up)
 * Limited to 5 to 7 unique visitors in every household
 * Maximum of 4 households can be visited every day
 * No more than 4-5 people per square yard in outdoor gatherings

Stage 3: COVID-19 is severe and spreads easily from person to person in Arola

 * Minor restrictions in domestic and international transport (e.g. mandatory quarantine, temperature taking, visitor restrictions at healthcare services)
 * Limited to 2 to 3 unique visitors in every household
 * Maximum of 2 households can be visited every day
 * Comply with all controlled measures
 * All non-essential services and places to be closed

Stage 4: COVID-19 is severe and spreading widely in Arola

 * Nationwide lockdown to be enforced in all provinces indefinitely
 * Major restrictions in movement (e.g. schools shifting online, work from home orders and more than 1,000 deaths)
 * No unique visitors and visiting allowed in households
 * All gatherings and public events cancelled

Timeline of alerts

 * Stage 3: 29th February-4th April 2020
 * Stage 4: 5th April-28th July 2020
 * Stage 2: 29th July 2020-22nd February 2021
 * Stage 3: 23rd-25th February 2021
 * Stage 4: 26th February-13th December 2021
 * Relaxed Stage 4: 13th December 2021 (scheduled)