STATEMENT BY THE PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES DR. JAMES FONG - 15.05.21

15/05/2021


The Fiji Centre for Disease Control has been fully decontaminated and will resume processing COVID-19 tests from tonight. All remaining staff have continued to test negative for COVID-19. None of the laboratory staff have tested positive to date, which further indicates that the virus was brought in from the community. 

After being given the choice to either enter a quarantine facility or continue work at the CDC, the vast majority of staff have chosen to remain in the CDC and continue running tests. They will continue to be tested regularly during their sequestration period so that any positive case can be identified and isolated early.

Through testing at other facilities throughout Fiji, we have confirmed two new cases of COVID-19. Both of these cases are tied to existing clusters. The first is a close contact from the most recent Makoi cluster. The second is a close contact from the cluster in Nadali, Nausori. The Makoi case has been in an isolation facility since May 10th. The Nadali case has been entered into isolation. Contact tracing for both individuals is underway. 

The lockdown of Suva and Nausori commenced from 11pm last night. Until its scheduled end on Wednesday, the 19th of May, at 4am, Fijians living in Suva and Nausori must remain at home. Travel for medical emergencies is permitted. Only essential service providers with explicit authorisation from the government may operate. 

The Ministry’s contact tracing teams are using the lockdown period as a window of opportunity to trace and test primary and secondary contacts of existing cases within Suva and Nausori. The nature and the number of the cases that we confirm through the lockdown period will inform our next steps. 

For the rest of Viti Levu, the 6pm to 4am curfew comes into effect from tonight. We urge the public to stay home and stay safe. If you need to leave your home for an essential reason, wear a mask, maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from others, and make sure you have careFIJI installed and turned on.

In the event of any major developments, the Permanent Secretary of Health and Medical Services will hold a media conference. Otherwise we will issue updates through the Fijian Government Facebook page. 

Thank you to everyone within the lockdown zone for staying home this weekend. Your time at home is being used efficiently by our teams to identify and isolate positive COVID-19 patients. We appreciate your support and cooperation.