MOH considers revision of curfew hours and lifting of Central and Western containment borders based on vaccine coverage

The Ministry of Health is considering a revision of curfew hours and lifting of containment borders in Viti Levu based on vaccine coverage.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says they established the border of the Lami-Nausori Containment Zone because of the high number of clusters within that specific containment area.

He says since this time they have seen increasing cases on both sides of the border, meaning that they now will be considering the benefits of keeping these measures in place.

Doctor Fong says with the rise of cases in the West, as well as increasing vaccination coverage, they are now reviewing the purpose and utility of the containment zone border entirely.

He says any adjustments to this containment zone will depend on the number of vaccines provided to the communities, in addition to vaccination coverage for specific locations.

Doctor Fong says they know there are communities that will see higher flows of traffic once the containment zone border is lifted, particularly places along the Coral Coast highway that are stopover areas for people commuting between Suva and Lautoka.

He says the health teams will be imminently surveying these areas to confirm what percentage of these communities have been vaccinated before they consider lifting the border.

Where they do not see sufficient vaccine coverage, they are deploying the stock of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, which has a shorter timeline for full immunisation.

They are also considering a revision to the curfew hours however the decision hinges on vaccine coverage.

Doctor Fong says the fact that they are considering these changes should not equate to complacency.

He stresses this outbreak is far from over as every technical factor shows the risk of transmission is extremely high across Viti Levu.

Doctor Fong says they do not have a specific date for you as to when the border will be lifted or when the curfew hours will change but they know when those actions are taken they will be accompanied by more stringent enforcement of the existing health measures, particularly the blanket restriction on social gatherings.

Travel from Viti Levu to the North and to the maritime islands remains highly regulated with pre-departure and quarantine protocols in place.

There are no near-term plans to change the protocols around inter-island travel.