The novel coronavirus has crossed oceans and mountains but has so far failed to breach the defences of Sikkim, which on Sunday night stood apart as the lone Indian state yet to record a single Covid-19 patient.

Has the tiny Himalayan state of 6.5 lakh people been merely lucky?

Experts The Telegraph spoke to were near-unanimous that Sikkim owes its continuing freedom from the virus to the alertness and intent shown by its government, aided by its geographical advantage as a landlocked state.

Sikkim had begun the thermal screening of every person entering the state through any of its six road entry points from January 29, a day before the country recorded its first coronavirus case in distant Kerala.

The government of a health-conscious state — which last year became the first Indian state to go cent-per-cent organic — had simply taken note of what was happening in China and Europe and decided to be proactive.

It also set up quarantine and isolation facilities in all its four districts, where those shown to have fever during the thermal screening were taken.

Subsequently, everyone entering the state — symptom or no symptom — was made to go into quarantine.

“Also, right at the initial stage of the coronavirus outbreak, the authorities tracked down people with recent travel histories to China and other affected countries and put them under observation,” a health official said.

“Later, as the virus began to spread in the country, all those coming from the affected areas were either quarantined at home or at the facilities set up by the government.”

The next big step the state government took was to ban the entry of foreign tourists from March 5. It then held firm in the face of a Union government prod to lift the bar, despite the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha’s perceived proximity to the BJP.

By March 17, eight days before the nationwide lockdown started, the Sikkim government had also barred domestic tourists from entering the state.

One geographical edge that the 7,000sqkm state enjoyed was that it had just six entry points, all by road, which made it easier to check on every entrant. (Sikkim has no railway and its lone airport has been defunct a long time.)

“The absence of Covid-19 in the state is the result of the effective border-level action,” said Dr Keshav Giri, a former state health official.

A tour operator lauded the state government for the firmness of its intent.

“On the very first day of the ban on the entry of foreigners, the Union tourism ministry had written to the Sikkim government asking it to reconsider the ban,” he said.

“It’s rare for Sikkim to ignore the Centre’s advice, but it did so on this occasion. A week later, the Union government itself stopped issuing visas to foreign tourists.”

In another proactive move, the state authorities traced and quarantined 10-odd fellow passengers of a Covid-19 casualty from Kalimpong in Bengal.

The woman from Kalimpong, who died on March 30, had flown from Chennai to Bagdogra on March 19. After she tested positive for the coronavirus, the Sikkim authorities quarantined all the Sikkim residents who were on the same flight.

Although all the six road entry points remain closed to popular movement, two — Rangpo in East Sikkim and Melli in South Sikkim — have been kept open for the supply of essentials.

While locking down the state’s borders to thwart the virus, the state government has reached out to its 1,800 students and 400-odd patients stranded across the country.

It has provided Rs 5,000 each to the students and Rs 20,000 each to the families of the patients undergoing treatment for various ailments outside the state.

“The virus, God forbid, could still reach our shores but you can’t accuse our government of not trying its best to prevent that happening,” a Gangtok resident who didn’t want to be quoted said.