2020 in Nauru

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2020 Timeline of Nauruan history

The following lists events that happened during 2020 in the Republic of Nauru .

Incumbents

• President: Lionel Aingimea
• Speaker of Parliament: Marcus Stephen

Events

Ongoing – COVID-19 pandemic in Nauru

January

• 31 January – Nauru establishes diplomatic relations with Kyrgyzstan. ^[1]

March

• 31 March – 209 asylum seekers remain in Nauru after being transferred from Australia. ^[2]
• Nauru halts most international flights and imposes strict quarantine measures to prevent the introduction of COVID-19. Curfews and movement restrictions are enforced with severe penalties. ^[2]

June

• The government introduces the National Disaster Risk Management (Amendment) Bill 2020, criminalizing social media posts that mislead the public or distort official information, and expanding police powers during national disasters. ^[2]
• Nauru announces plans to introduce harsher laws for sex offenders, reducing bail eligibility and limiting mitigation based on the perpetrator’s age. ^[2]

July

• 6 July – Despite there being no reported cases of COVID-19, the government declared a national emergency as a preventive measure, suspending all but one weekly flight to the country and instituting a 14-day quarantine for all arrivals. ^[3]
• President Lionel Aingimea becomes chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, acknowledging governance and corruption issues at the institution. ^[2]

September

• 14 September – It was announced that President Lionel Aingimea and the leaders of Kiribati, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands will be hosting an in-person meeting. President Lionel Aingimea said the leaders agreed to attend Palau's Independence Day on October 1 as the five Pacific countries remain free of COVID-19. ^[4]

October

• The United States agrees to resettle over 1,100 asylum seekers from Nauru and Papua New Guinea by early 2021. ^[2]

December

• The planned opening of the Nauru International Port is delayed. ^[5]

Deaths

Main article: Deaths in 2020

Further information: Category:2020 deaths

References

1. "Diplomatic Relations Between Nauru and Kyrgyzstan as of 31 Jan. 2020". United Nations Digital Library. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
2. "Nauru: Freedom in the World 2021 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
3. "Coronavirus: Sweeping restrictions introduced across the Pacific". RNZ . 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
4. "Palau to host in-person Micronesian leaders summit". RNZ . 2020-09-14. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
5. "Construction begins on Nauru port project". RNZ. 2019-02-02. Retrieved 2025-09-03.