Providing COVID-19 test results or proof of test bookings to board flights to Fiji will no longer be needed come this Monday, as a result of the high number of people that have received their vaccine shots.
In a statement, the Government says over the past six weeks, Fiji’s health system has continued to provide community-wide protection through a widespread immunisation campaign, which has led to a persistent decrease in COVID-19 cases.
They say taking into account Fiji's high levels of community-wide vaccine protection, the expansion in vaccination coverage to children, the increasing uptake of booster doses, and the lessening caseload, they can relax more of our public health measures.
The Government says although it's been mandated, testing will be required for anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms and individuals arriving in Fiji will be asked to self-report on a single immigration arrival card.
It adds those who test positive will now be required to isolate themselves for a minimum of five days, as opposed to the previous period of seven days.
However, in the interest of offering greater protection to those most vulnerable, healthcare workers and aged care facility workers will still be required to isolate for a minimum of seven days if they test positive for COVID-19.
Additionally, any individuals in isolation who still display COVID-19 symptoms after 5-days will also be required to complete the full 7 days.
The Government says this move follows similar steps taken by Australia, the USA, the UK and European countries such as Germany and these changes are expected to strengthen Fiji’s economic recovery and streamline airport processes.
They further say visitor numbers for the first seven months of this year stand at half compared to the same period in 2019, while July 2022 showed an 82 per cent recovery and also recorded the highest number of Australian visitors in a given month.
It adds they know vaccine protection remains critical, therefore, our entry requirement of being fully vaccinated remains until the country achieves heightened border and community surveillance.
It says they will continue to be guided by local and global expert advice in safely navigating this and any future infectious disease threats.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services maintains that, in addition to Fiji’s extremely high vaccination rates, as more eligible Fijians receive booster doses, greater levels of community protection will lend greater confidence in relaxing public health measures.
