Dr Fong concerned about the irresponsible behaviour of adults who organize big gatherings without ensuring COVID safe practices

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong stresses that all of us who live in Fiji need to understand that any large resurgence in COVID-19 cases is likely to undermine our social and economic recovery program, irrespective of whether it’s from the Delta variant or the entry of the Omicron variant.

With the level of complacency rising and people not adhering to the COVID safe measures, people are reminded that while they continue to be concerned about the Omicron variant, we still have the Delta variant in Fiji which can cause severe illness mainly for those people who are not vaccinated.

People continue to be seen with no masks in buses, crowded gatherings and functions indoors. We have also witnessed that many people are not scanning the CareFiji QR Code in and out of supermarkets and other businesses.

While responding to our questions, Doctor Fong says he has requested all spotters from Health, Commerce and Security Ministries to escalate the fining of individuals and corporate bodies where there is evidence of non-compliance of COVID safe measures.

Doctor Fong says these spot fines must be seen as a means to promote COVID safe measures; as such, it is not the intention that every single transgression will be picked up and fined.

He says the teams are being reorganized to facilitate this.

When asked on what is his message to the adults who are fully vaccinated and are not adhering to the COVID safe measures despite many unvaccinated children in the country, Doctor Fong says it is the irresponsible behaviour of adults who organize big gatherings without ensuring COVID safe practices and therefore no regard for the educational aspirations of our children that he finds very disappointing at this time.

Doctor Fong says our children need to get back to school, and we need to ensure all COVID safe measures continue to be followed.

When asked on whether MOH has worked out the total eligible population for vaccination including children as many children are not vaccinated, Doctor Fong says they have the data and they are using it to refine their strategy based on the fact that most parents will have been vaccinated and support vaccination.

He says once school starts, they will continue the vaccination program.