Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says since the opening of international travel borders to travel partner countries, six travellers have tested positive for COVID-19 during the mandatory 3-day hotel stay and testing.
Doctor Fong says in accordance with entry requirements, all cases had tested negative in the 72 hours before departure and are fully vaccinated.
He says all cases are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, have been isolated within hotels with protocols that have been established in the lead-up to border opening, and continue to be overseen by Ministry of Health in the Western Division.
The positive samples will be sent to the partner laboratory in Australia for genomic sequencing.
Doctor Fong says they need to be clear that the objectives of the border measures relate to socio-economic recovery.
He says the objective is to reduce the risk of entry of COVID 19 through our borders while allowing for quarantine-free travel from travel partner countries.
This includes reducing the risk of entry of variants of concern or at least delaying entry.
Doctor Fong says they have ensured that the default quarantine period for all travellers from non-Travel Partner countries is 14 days.
He says in some countries where they have managed to secure oversight over the escalated pre-departure conditions, they have reduced the quarantine period to 10 days.
Doctor Fong says he needs to be clear that this escalated program is to reduce the risk of community transmission of an unknown variant.
He also says the temporary removal of any country from our Travel Partner Country list is already an ongoing assessment process
However, Doctor Fong says they have noted that a number of our travel partner countries now have widespread community transmission of Omicron. He says they are adding to the current border entry requirements for travel partner countries with evidence of community transmission of Omicron by strengthening the pre-departure testing requirement.
This will entail reducing the time for when the test can be taken from at most 72 hours before departure to 24 hours.
This has already been put in place for travellers from the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
They are currently working on how this can also be done for travellers from other travel partner countries.
Doctor Fong says at the same time, they recognize that the 3-day hotel stay and testing for arrivals from travel partner countries will not completely prevent cases from entering the community, including the Omicron variant.
The Permanent Secretary says as Omicron is now widespread across the world, including in a number of our travel partner countries, it is very likely that it will also enter our community.
Doctor Fong says the strongest evidence so far is that it transmits better and faster than other variants; people that have been infected with COVID-19 before are getting re-infected with Omicron, and people who have received two doses of a vaccine can also get infected.
However, he says it is still too early to determine whether Omicron causes more or less severe disease, though international experts do expect that prior immunity (including from vaccination) will reduce the risk of severe disease.
Doctor Fong says what is clear with Omicron is that a ‘Vaccination Plus’ strategy is needed.
This means vaccination plus COVID safe measures.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong remains extremely concerned at the lack of adherence to COVID safe measures in gatherings throughout the country, especially the non-adherence to masking in indoor public spaces and gatherings in sheds or tents that result in a lot of people sitting close to each other.
Doctor Fong says they ask that all gatherings, including family gatherings during the festive period, observe the COVID safe measures and as such are restricted in numbers and are done in spaces where good distancing and ventilation can be maintained.
He says the use of fans to ventilate these gatherings, asking that anyone who attends the gathering who does not feel well refrain from attending, and masking up wisely, are all messages that need people to adhere to.
Doctor Fong says in response to the likely introduction of Omicron into our communities, the MOH has new stocks of booster doses for the elderly, vulnerable, and front liners; and the vaccination of children will continue.
He says they continue to promote COVID safe behaviour in the messages and use legal measures they have for enforcement.
Doctor Fong says they continue to work with businesses and schools to foster COVID safe measures to become an automatic habit.
He says they want to facilitate the reopening of society in a way that does not cause mass illness and death.
The Permanent Secretary says they cannot eradicate SARS-CoV-2 but they can plan to ensure that what comes into Fiji is well known and we have enough vaccination cover and COVID safe habits in the community to protect ourselves and the freedoms we enjoy.
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