This article’s title is a bit more apocalyptic than I like titles to be, but with the Novel Coronavirus (aka 2019-nCov) making the news and spreading panic all over the world, it’s something that I felt I had to do: share with you some countries and general places where you would have better chances to survive a global pandemic.
Now, before we even get there, let me say that I have faith that humanity will be able to tackle this new virus before it becomes a global pandemic. I also have to admit that I am a bit worried – since I am a person that doesn’t consider preppers lunatics (on the contrary!) I think that you should always have a backup plan in case things go wrong.
And even though purely hypothetical for most of the globe’s population, the possibility of fleeing to a country that’s best protected against a possible deadly virus such as the nCov 2019, or at least to a place that’s safer than most, this possibility exists and you should at least keep an open mind. Hopefully it will never become truly needed information!
In my case, being a sucker for all sci-fi and horror flicks that involve zombies, distopian civilizations and everything related to the apocalypse, I keep a close eye on the spread of the new virus and another on possible places to go from the crowded city I am currently living in – just in case.
Just as it happens generally in life, it seems that the rich will have the higher chances of surviving a catastrophic pandemic, but everybody has a chance as long as there’s a plan in place and a bit of knowledge.
So with all these, in mind, let’s check out the thing that we’re here for today!
Best places & countries to survive a 2019-nCov Pandemic
Even though not really an option for most of us, there are still a lot of countries on this planet that are remote enough to be as far away as possible from a potential global pandemic.
The real problem is getting there: unless you do this well in advance (read: before a virus actually becomes a pandemic), all these countries will probably lock borders and not allow anybody in.
As I said, with the current situation, it’s highly unlikely that we will ever get there, but if we do, here are some of the countries that should become safe havens for humanity:
The Best Countries for Survial
Iceland
Considered one of the safest countries in the world when it comes to crime rate, the small Northern European country has all the chances of getting through a global pandemic unharmed.
You won’t be spending too much time on the beaches here since it’s pretty much freezing cold all year long, but at least you will survive – and do so in one of the most advanced countries on this list. So if you do more research, don’t be surprised to find out that you’ll actually want to move to Iceland no matter what!
Greenland
While most of Greenland is nothing but ice and snow, it’s like a much larger and even less populated version of Iceland. Another good options for those looking to survive.
Faroe Islands
Not many people have heard about this tiny nation – which is an advantage if the world starts searching for places they can brave off the apocalypse.
Tucked between Iceland, Norway and the UK, Faroe has a few islands for you to choose from and despite the reduced amount of land, it can be considered one of the safest countries in the world in case of a ncov pandemic.
Azores
While not technically a country since they’re part of Portugal, the Azores are a bunch of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, far away from continents and other people (thy’re closest to Portugal, some 850 miles away).
Not only that these islands are an ideal place for bunking in and rebuilding humanity, but they offer better weather and breathtaking landscapes. They’re a great place to visit as a digital nomad or tourist, so don’t wait for all hell to break loose before you go there!
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Even though we might never get a movie called “Braving the Apocalypse in South Sandwich Islands” the truth is that these extremely remote – and even more so inhospitable place for humans could provide exactly the setting you need for surviving.
Getting to South Georgia (or the even more remote Sandwich Islands) is the real challenge as there are no airports in the area, but once you’re there… well… there won’t be much for you to do than brave the cold and make friends with penguins.
You won’t be able to grow many crops or anything, but you’ll figure something out eventually. However, out of all the countries listed here where you can easily survive a potential nCov epidemic, this is the least likely candidate to actually become a viable solution.
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
We’re going further down South and continuing with place nobody has ever heard about. But in this case, that’s a bonus!
While you won’t enjoy free wifi and high speed highways here, you’ll receive serene landscapes instead and a chance to survive. Officially under British rule, this archipelago only has a handful of people living there full time and gives you a great chance at survival.
Even more, Tristan da Cunha is considered to be the most remote inhabited place on earth. People are not flocking there for a reason (it’s so cold and inhospitable), but in case of survival, things change.
Reunion & Mauritius
Situated to the East of the island of Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius are actually two different countries, but since they’re close together I decided to recommend them as one.
They are away from everything – but the small island of Rodrigues, which is part of Mauritius, is where you want to be: thrown in the middle of the Indian ocean, it looks like the perfect place to brave off the apocalypse.
Seychelles & Maldives
Now if you want to brave a potential pandemic in style, any of these two places will work great. And even though they re a bit more popular and crowded than most other places on this list, they are still remote enough to be considered safe.
These are also some of the most expensive destinations in the world and extremely touristic (which is not a good thing if you’re trying to flee a virus), but I still have faith in them as two solid countries to survive a potential nCov pandemic.
Easter Island
Another of the more popular countries on the list, the Easter Island is still very remote – located somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean, to the West of Chile. A bit more developed than many of the listings above and with much better climate, it will make survival a lot easier.
The tiny Oceania Islands
The South Pacific Ocean is where you should actually look for tons of countries that have better chances than most in case of a global pandemic.
We’re talking about tens of countries and thousands of islands, including Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, American Samoa and the Cook Islands. But the options are basically endless here.
Best places to survive a potential pandemic
As I said earlier, if things are really going to be bad, the chances of you hopping on a fishing boat and heading towards Antarctica to set up base in Tristan da Cunha (or most of the countries recommended above) are slim.
Most of us will have to deal with a pandemic using the deck we’ve been dealt and you’ll be surprised to see that there are actually a ton of places near your home that could make survival a lot easier:
Hop on a boat!
Not everybody has a yacht in their back yard, but if you do, then it could be life saving! Simly fill it up with provisions and go as far away from the shore as possible.
You will have endless supplies of food (in terms of fish) and even though drinking water might become a problem later on, you’d still plan some trips to the shore to refill. Either way, on a boat – be it in the middle of the ocean or just on a lake – you have better chances of going through it safely.
A remote village
There are tons of villages out there that are pretty much remote: completely or almost completely broken away from the big cities and visitors. Find one in your area and head over there: your chances of surviving any type of pandemic increase dramatically.
You get bonus points if you actually manage to buy a house there in order to avoid having to live off the locals’ good will…
Surviving in your car
This is definitely not the most comfortable way of doing it, but it could work in extreme cases. Just fill up your trunk with supplies and head deep into the woods to brave this off.
You will lack a ton of things – like toilet, running water and electricity (to name just a few), as well as heating during the winter… but at least you’re getting a better shot at survival.
Make sure that you have a source of water nearby and get a lot of materials to read about surviving the wilderness, because it won’t be easy!
Any remote place nearby
You probably got the basic rule by now: the more remote and away from others you are, the better your chances of survival. So any remote place will actually work: the more modern amenities it has, the better.
We can include here uninhabited small islands, remote cabins up in the woods, remote homes… anything. As long as there are as few people living there as possible, you have higher chances of not catching the virus and surviving long term.
Bunk up inside your home
In reality, if things are really going to get bad, this final place is where most of us will actually end up trying to beat the pandemic: our home.
While it will definitely be difficult due to the number of people around you, you could still improve your chances if you really separate yourself and no longer interact (directly) with others. Seal off the entries and don’t open the door no matter what. As long as the virus doesn’t come in, it’s all good.
Sure, things will get bad eventually in an apocalyptic scenario since eventually there will be no running water, nor electricity… but we can only hope we will never get there.
Conclusion
Even though the new coronavirus is getting a lot of attention and people are panicking worldwide, at the moment of writing this, we only have under 1,500 confirmed cases.
With the world population being at around 7.5 billion, we don’t really have reasons to worry. But it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on the evolution and the spread of this virus and at least have some sort of a plan.
While jumping into the next plane to Cook Islands might be, at the moment, completely unnecessarily and most likely people will consider you crazy, I don’t think that should matter at all when your own safety (and that of your family) is involved.
A few years ago, in the city where I live, a plant nearby had some problems that soon leaked online from the staff: people working there said that there was a minor risk of an explosion that would’ve cast a cloud of sulfur over the city with potentially fatal consequences.
I did a bit of research, I heard the opinions of multiple people involved in this and two hours later I was already away from the city, together with my family, and we didn’t come back until the situation was solved.
Yes, there was no explosion and nothing bad happened. Yes, friends told us that we were crazy and made fun of us. But I would never do it differently: safety comes first and even a 1% chance of something really bad happening is too much for me.
Sure, you can get hit by a car or any sort of accident can happen at any time, anywhere. But these are accidents: the risk of a power plant exploding – even though close to zero – is something you know of in advance. And a risk I am not willing to take.
The same goes with the novel coronavirus – and any type of potential pandemic or threat, to be honest. While I don’t have a packed bag waiting and I am not actively planning on how to survive the apocalypse, I will hop into a car and off to a remote place as soon as I consider that there’s an actual threat.
But there are two important things to have in mind:
- Right now, I don’t thing that there is any kind of a real that that should make people worried
- You need much more than a remote place to survive a potential pandemic… so while there’s still time, start soaking up some survival knowledge: you never know when it will come in handy.
But back to today’s topic: what other countries or places in the world would you consider best suited for surviving a potential life-threatening pandemic?
