“Splendid Isolation”: embracing islandness in a global pandemic
Islandness is often considered to be a disadvantage. However, it has helped the residents of islands to delay, deter, and, in some cases, totally insulate themselves from COVID-19. While islanders have been quick to lock themselves down, this has had a tremendous impact on their connectivity and on tourism, which in many cases is their major economic sector. Yet, the association of islands with being safe, “COVID-19 free” zones has helped these spaces to be among the first destinations to restart the tourism economy once travel restrictions were lifted. After several weeks of lockdown, and with the COVID-19 threat still looming, social distancing remained the norm. Travellers we…
Islands and COVID-19: A Global Survey
On 22 March 2020 the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance (SCELG) started a survey aiming to better understand how COVID-19 was being dealt with on islands. SCELG partnered with Island Innovation and together they reached out to their island network. The goal was not to undertake a research project, but to collate 'raw' data from anybody who was inclined to respond and to put such data at the disposal of policymakers and wider island related stakeholders in their ongoing activities to deal with and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was closed on 01 June. The response was very positive and 130 people answered the survey, in some cases more than once providing time…