With the United States’ coronavirus cases increasing daily, the virus has reached even the most secluded areas of the country. America’s total reported cases just surpassed 11.5 million—250 thousand of which were deaths. However, the news of a possible vaccine reassures Americans of an eventual resolution to this interminable pandemic.

A handful of counties in the United States stayed safe from the virus until recently. Oregon’s Wheeler County remained protected until October 12th, when it reported its first case. Only a week later, King County, Texas notified the rest of the country of its first infection as well. In addition to these two affected counties, three more American counties that were untouched by the coronavirus have also begun to report their first cases.

Skagway Borough, Alaska

Skagway Borough, located in northern Alaska, has an estimated population of 1,120. The remote borough enforced strict precautions despite relying on tourism which supports its economy, especially during the summer months. Due to the first wave of the pandemic, not a single ship arrived at Skagway’s port over the tourist season, and Skagway implemented many provisions to ensure that the economy would not suffer a second time for the next tourist season. The county managed to restrict COVID-19 from spreading to the municipality until November 12th, when county officials disclosed information about the first cases. Since then, Skagway Borough has had a total of nine COVID-19 cases.

Esmeralda County, Nevada

Esmeralda county in western Nevada maintained quarantine safety measures well until mid-November. Its COVID-free reputation went downhill during the election voting period. Esmeralda County’s citizens presumably received the virus from a poll worker when arriving to cast their ballots because the infection was reported on November 13th—just weeks following Election Day. The estimated population of the county is 792, but the number of cases is only five thus far.

Loving County, Texas

Texas’ Loving County lasted without spreading the coronavirus for almost a week longer than Esmeralda County. Loving County is in west Texas and has a population of 184, but it has ten times as many workers when counting truck drivers and other professionals that commute. As of November 17th, Loving County announced its first three COVID-19 cases, but this didn’t count the ones from over the summer. Earlier, a few cases were not reported officially for Loving County because travelers who tested positive in the county had their cases count towards their home state and not Texas. Presently, the three positive tests from the first report are still Loving County, Texas’ only known cases.

Kalawao County, Hawaii

Kalawao County, Hawaii, known for having the smallest American county population (88), is the only county left in the United States without any coronavirus cases. Kalawao County is located on the north coast of Molokai Island. Similar to the previously mentioned counties, Kalawao has prevented its residents from incurring the virus because of its low-populated areas. 

Many of the counties’ citizens feel comfortable in public without covering their faces with masks since everyone usually stays within the county boundaries. The social distancing also has not been difficult for these communities because many of the residents have lifestyles suited to remaining miles apart from one another. Although living in an isolated area can lower the risk of contracting the virus, the other secluded counties have demonstrated that the coronavirus can spread like wildfire without establishing proper preventative measures.