‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed as being due to this strain by laboratory tests, although some other strains may have been ruled out.
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have spread to an Occitanian national on 14 march 2020. Nova-Occitania was the second micronation from the MicroWiki sector to announce a COVID-19 case, after Montescano.
In anticipation of the arrival of the pandemic in Europe, Prime Minister Ivanna Minaïeva sent a preliminary question to the Constitutional Court concerning a possible closure of the borders. To which the court replied on February 21 that "According to the hierarchy of customary standards of the Union, in first, application of the Constitution which in its article 22 stipulates that" No authority can take measures which directly or indirectly would hamper the freedom of movement [..] throughout the national territory ", it would therefore be contrary to the constitution to draft a law along the lines of the government's proposal." It was therefore legally impossible for the government to prohibit access to the national territory.[1]
On February 29, President Babou Chkaya declared a state of emergency in Nova-Occitania. Chkaya stated in the decree: "The state of emergency is applied for a period of 5 weeks due to the presence of the Covid-19 Virus in France, Aragon and Catalonia." The decision followed a meeting with Prime Minister Ivanna Minaïeva and Adélia Cerdan, the Minister of Solidarity. It is the first time that the state of emergency has been applied since the re-creation of the Occitanian micronation and allows the president to rule alone, by decrees.[2]
March
Screenshot of the e-noc portal announcing the measures related to the State of Emergency
A Presidential decree on March 14 ordered the closure of all administrations. The same day the first case was detected in an Occitanian national, resident in Barcelona.[3]
On March 22, the Ministry of Solidarities issued a statement saying that one citizen from Tartuga was quarantined at home, because two of its relatives were diagnosed Covid-19 positive in French hospitals.[6]
On March 23, the Ministry of Solidarities issued a new statement advising citizens to avoid contact with anyone coming from a "seriously affected" country or from a country whose the "government is not taking sufficient action such as the United States of America or the United Kingdom". In addition, it confirms the establishment of a second individual quarantine on a citizen of Babougrad, who has recently been in contact with a Moroccan national, declared Covid-19 positive in France.[7] On the same day, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown for 3 weeks, involving a de facto quarantine in Loch Occitania.[8]
On March 28, the Ministry of Solidarities has announced the second Covid19 case in Occitania as well as the third individuel quarantine. It was published in the fourth statement from the beginning of the health crisis, which also advertises citizens to avoid contact with anyone coming from a "seriously affected" country or from a country whose the "government is not taking sufficient action such as the United States of America, Brazil or The Netherlands.[9]
April
On April 2, the Ministry of Solidarities announced that a third case has been diagnosed, in fact the father of the Case n°2 also from Three Flowers and one death among relatives of this community. 11 individual quarantines have also decreed in Three Flowers.[10]
On April 30, it was announced the end of the Covid19 outbreak in Nova-Occitania. The Ministry also lifts all individual quarantines.[11] On the same day, the gouvernement and the Army launched the Operation Golden Way. This operation aims to ensure the importation of sanitary equipment from Asia and to carry out health checks including disinfection and medical surveillance.[12]
Reactions
The government has chosen not to cancel the presidential election of March 22, but by taking measures to respect social distance. In fact the election will take place electronically on the model of the voting of nationals living abroad.[13]
The government of the Republic of Antares was the first to give diplomatic support to the Union of Nova-Occitania. The government's twitter account said on March 18 that "from Antares we want to show our full support to Nova-Occitania, great ally of our country. Many encouragement and strength! #COVID19".
Nova-Occitania was one of the GUM member states named by Hasanistan's Prime Minister Hasan Çakar in a statement where he declared them as "irrelevant" and criticised their statements and decisions on coronavirus as "of no substance and just intend to pretend they care about this".[14] This attack follows the trial by the Babougrad Court against Hasan Çakar for "vandalism" and whose publication of the verdict has been postponed due to the closure of the administrations.
23 year-old man, resident of Three Flowers but living part of the year in the capital of Catalonia in Barcelona for his studies. Currently under home surveillance in the city of Barcelona, he has no symptoms and his condition is not worrying. Discharged on April 2, 2020.
Nurse student infected during her work in Lleida, Catalonia. Began to have symptoms during a requisition at the hospital in this city. Took a test which turned out to be positive. She remains followed at home, in Three Flowers by Catalan doctors.
Father of the Case n°3, grandfather of the Case n°2, hospitalized in Lleida, Catalonia. Died on April 1, 2020. He was later counted in the Nova-Occitania statistics.
Concerns the entire population of the viguerie of Three Flowers, after 2 cases on the territory and a death in the entourage of the community. Out of 14 inhabitants, 11 are affected, the other three inhabitants being Cases 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
Union of Nova-Occitania
Barcelona
Three Flowers
w:Spain
Tartuga
Babougrad
