It is almost the end of 2020 and Palau has remained one of the handful of countries globally which have not registered a single case since the coronavirus outbreak was designated a pandemic in March. For Palau’s health Minister Emais Roberts and the frontliners, the secret to success in keeping the virus at bay is thinking ahead, strict quarantine measures and early border closures. It also helps that Minister Roberts is a practicing surgeon. This thing took us all by surprise when it was declared back in March. Thinking back, there were several steps we took even before WHO told us to close our borders.