2 new border quarantine cases in Fiji

2 new border quarantine cases of COVID-19 have been announced today by the Acting Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong.

Doctor Fong says both are Fijian citizens who were repatriated from India on July 1st.

He says one is the 37-year-old son of the 1st border quarantine case that was announced yesterday while the second is a 36-year-old female.

Doctor Fong says the woman had been in Chennai, India where she accompanied her husband who was undergoing treatment for some medical condition.

The 37-year-old man and his 66-year-old father have been transferred from Nadi to Lautoka Hospital as the father has some pre-existing medical conditions and he is of an advanced aged. Doctor Fong says this is a precautionary measure.

The woman is in a stable condition and she has been transferred along with her husband to the Nadi Isolation Facility. Her husband will be tested today and the Health Ministry will get the result tomorrow.

All remaining 105 passengers will be tested tomorrow and by the end of business tomorrow, the results will be confirmed.

The Acting Permanent Secretary for Health also stresses that all the people that were on the plane from India have been in the government quarantine facility.

Doctor Fong says today marks 80 days since Fiji’s last case outside a border quarantine facility.

He says the cases of COVID-19 are accelerating worldwide including in India.

Doctor Fong stresses that Fiji has never closed the borders to our own citizens, and more than 3,000 returning citizens have safely gone back to the community after going through the required quarantine guidelines strictly supervised by health officials and the RFMF.

Doctor Fong says we cannot turn our back to our own people, and as long as the border quarantine guidelines are followed, there is no risk of community transmission.