Nausori Market has been closed and vendors and staff are being swabbed

Nausori Market has been cordoned off and staff of the Ministry of Health are currently doing screening and swab tests of vendors and staff.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong has not made any comments.

However, he has already stated that they seal off areas as part of the response to an investigation.

Doctor Fong says the members of the public have to get used to seeing this type of response.

The Special Administrator of the Nausori Town Council, Uma Kant Patel confirms the market will remain closed until they get a clearance from the Ministry of Health.

Patel says one of the vendors has been identified as a suspected case of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Extra Supermarket in Flagstaff, Hanson’s and Shop N Save Supermarkets in Makoi remain closed today.

They were sealed off by the Health Ministry yesterday.

Doctor Fong says the close contacts of case 140, the Makoi woman who tested positive for COVID-19, have now tested positive.

12 people from Makoi tested positive yesterday.

He says this means that there has been a significant amount of movement and potential for transmission of the virus to others.

Case 140’s travel history, and the work history of one of her contacts, has required they close three grocery stores in Suva for decontamination.

The Health Ministry is also testing the employees.

Doctor Fong says those stores are not being closed indefinitely.

They will reopen as soon as decontamination is completed.