On 9 March 2020, the
Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Brunei, a 53-year-old man who had returned from a
tabligh in
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, on 3 March. He began experiencing symptoms on 7 March and was subsequently admitted to the National Isolation Centre in
Tutong. The MoH began tracing his three travel companions and family members. On 12 March, the MoH reported 14 new cases, bringing the total to 25, with ten linked to the same event and one involving a man who had traveled to Kuala Lumpur and Cambodia. By 14 March, the number of cases had risen to 40, and by 15 March, to 50 with an additional 10 confirmed cases. The situation escalated, and on 22 March, the total reached 88. The next day, three more cases brought the total to 91, and on 24 March, a record 13 new cases were confirmed, resulting in a total of 104. and on 26 March, it increased to 114 with five recoveries reported. On 27 March, the case count reached 115, with 11 recoveries, but also marked the first death due to the virus. On 5 May, Brunei confirmed one new COVID-19 case, raising the total number of active cases to 139. The following day, two additional related cases were detected, linked to the previous day's case. By 2 June, most schools in the country partially reopened, and the majority of classes resumed as normal. However, on 7 August, Brunei reported its first imported case after 91 days of zero positive cases; the individual was a local man who had traveled from Yemen. On 23 November, the MoH announced the detection of another COVID-19 case in Brunei. Case 149 involved a 37-year-old woman who had arrived on flight BI874 from Kuala Lumpur after transiting from India on 11 November. She was asymptomatic, and contact tracing identified three close contacts, all of whom tested negative for the virus, while results for another close contact were still pending at the time of the press release. The following day, the MoH confirmed another case, Case 150, which was a 37-year-old man who arrived on the same flight from Kuala Lumpur after transiting from Egypt on 13 November. Like the previous case, he was asymptomatic, and contact tracing revealed five close contacts, all of whom tested negative for COVID-19. On 1 December, the MoH announced the detection of another COVID-19 case in Brunei. Case 151 involved a 26-year-old woman who arrived on flight BI874 from Kuala Lumpur after transiting from Nepal on 20 November. She was asymptomatic, and contact tracing identified two close contacts, both of whom tested negative for the virus. A week later, on 8 December, the MoH reported yet another case, Case 152, which was a 39-year-old man who arrived on the same flight from Kuala Lumpur on 27 November. This patient was also asymptomatic, and contact tracing revealed six close contacts, all of whom tested negative for COVID-19. On 3 January 2021, the MoH announced the detection of 15 new COVID-19 cases in Brunei, all of which involved males aged 19 to 21 who had arrived on flight BI004 from London on 21 December 2020. These individuals were part of a group of 81, with Case 165 showing symptoms starting on 31 December 2020, while the others remained asymptomatic. To help Bruneians adjust to the new normal, the MoH announced some easing of restrictions on 7 March 2021, allowing gatherings of up to 1,000 attendees, an increase from the previous limit of 350. Cinemas, restaurants, daycare facilities, libraries, mosques, gyms, and swimming pools were also permitted to operate at full capacity. By March 2021, the government lifted most restrictions, confident that the COVID-19 outbreak was under control. On 21 June, Brunei received its first shipment of the
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, totalling 50,400 doses out of the 200,000 procured by the MoH. == Second wave of COVID-19 ==