The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) is announcing two new border cases of COVID-19. They are a 49 year old female and 58 year old female who arrived on flight NZ952 from New Zealand on December 24th. Both individuals tested positive during routine exit testing while undergoing mandatory quarantine in the government designated (and Republic of Fiji Military Forces supervised) border quarantine facilities in Nadi.
The individuals were safely and hygienically transferred to the isolation ward at the Lautoka hospital in accordance with the standard protocol for confirmed cases. They were asymptomatic and well since arrival in Fiji. The frontline border and quarantine staff who were directly involved with the cases have followed our standard infection prevention and control protocols, and will be monitored and tested as necessary.
Fiji has had 55 cases in total since our first case was detected on March 19th, with the last 34 cases detected in border quarantine. It has been 302 days since our first case and 272 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services and our partner agencies has reviewed our strategies at the border to ensure that the risks are negligible. The borders agents with the MHMS and RFMF continue to diligently enforce our border quarantine and infection control protocols. The public is urged to continue to practise hand hygiene and other basic COVID-19 safe measures as we look forward to the commencement of the 2021 school year.