Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says all approvals for incoming travellers from Papua New Guinea is limited to Fijian citizens only.
Doctor Fong says all incoming travellers from PNG will only be via flights that have been discussed and approved by Fijian Ministry of Health and will be based on ensuring compliance with specific Pre-Departure, Inflight, De-boarding and Quarantine Conditions.
He says these are measures that reduce the risk of transmission within our quarantine facilities.
Doctor Fong says a charter flight organized by a local company (WAB Travel Solution) to arrive on 9th April is supported. The carrier is Air New Guinea.
The conditions have been agreed by WAB Travel Solution and they will ensure compliance.
The Permanent Secretary for Health says current heightened quarantine measures in place at all our quarantine facilities are considered appropriate for the PNG returnees.
Doctor Fong also says PNG has posed a significant new threat to our COVID-19 border control.
He says the escalating epidemic in PNG has been widely reported and is supported by increasing hospital admissions, reports that at least 40 percent of mothers admitted to Post Moresby maternity are tested positive and 50% positivity rates in some batches of samples.
The Permanent Secretary says there are consistent reports that the PNG medical system is under severe strain and the clinical response to managing sick persons is expected to be very challenging. He says access to healthcare will likely worsen as the epidemic escalates.
We have a large number of citizens in PNG and Fiji is a hub for travel in and out of the Pacific and within the Pacific.
Doctor Fong says there is a significant risk to our citizens in Papua New Guinea, first from the disease itself, and then from lack of access to healthcare should they get sick. Based on that, the Fijian citizens can return based on the conditions set out.
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