Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says it is clear at this stage that our war against the COVID-19 virus will not be won in four days of lockdown.
He says for the foreseeable future, we still need people to remain at home as much as possible.
Doctor Fong says for the containment to be effective from a socioeconomic and epidemiological standpoint, they are developing new COVID-safe measures to allow access to food, other essential items and services, as well as sustainable livelihoods.
He says the Health Ministry will announce these protocols this afternoon as part of the next phase of COVID containment for Suva, Nausori, and the rest of Viti Levu.
The lockdown for Suva and Nausori is scheduled to expire at 4am tomorrow, the 19th of May.
The Ministry is collecting data through screening, contact tracing, and testing to inform its recommendation on the next steps for the containment strategy for the Suva and Nausori Lockdown Zone, as well as the containment areas in Nadi, Lautoka, Lami and Rakiraki.
Doctor Fong says the strict lockdown currently enforced in the Suva-Nausori corridor is the most stringent containment measure in their toolkit, and the ministry teams are making the best possible use of this window of opportunity to firm their grip on this outbreak.
He says with everyone in Suva and Nausori at home under a 24-hour curfew, their contact tracing, screening, and testing is progressing rapidly.
The primary and secondary contacts they need to find are being found quickly before they can pose a wider risk of transmission.
Doctor Fong says their game plan will continue to evolve alongside the facts they gather from their testing and tracing, taken together with the best available medical and scientific information.
