People working together – following strict regulations on movement and hygiene practices – Dr Viegas said, showed the world how rapid and coordinated response can curb spread of the respiratory virus

Timor-Leste has not registered a single new COVID-19 infection for over three weeks, and all 24 patients have recovered.

The nation went into a strict state of emergency in March, closing its borders, setting movement curfews and enforcing a stringent quarantine model for people entering the country.

Since 6 March, some 1533 people have been tested in the government’s nation-wide surveillance program and 2250 people have completed mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Globally, there have been nearly 4.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 323,000 people have died, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Almost 1.7 million people have recovered.