Micronesia's President, David Panuelo, said FSM recognised the value of the operation, and choosing to cancel was not an easy decision to make. Photo: David Panuelo
The Federated States of Micronesia is opting out of an annual US military humanitarian mission due to coronavirus fears.
A US military publication, Stars & Stripes reports that Operation Christmas Drop, led by the Air Force, brings food, clothing and other donated supplies to thousands of remote Pacific Islanders.
Micronesia's President, David Panuelo, said FSM recognised the value of the operation, and choosing to cancel was not an easy decision to make.
FSM was opting out due to ongoing concerns from Micronesia's citizens in its most remote and vulnerable communities about the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
But he insisted he had "full trust and confidence" in US armed forces to carry out the annual supply drop in a safe manner.
FSM has had no confirmed cases of Covid-19.
The mission
The Operation Christmas Drop has been running for almost 70 years, and usually delivers supplies to dozens of islands in the Western Pacific.
Using guidelines from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, air crews participating in the mission are to mitigate the spread of the virus by implementing approved sanitation measures for all donations, the Air Force said.
It said socially distanced teams wearing recommended protective gear on shift work will prepare the donations in bundles to be disinfected prior to delivery across the islands.