Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has confirmed that the government will present the legislation to change enforcement of COVID emergency as soon as parliament sits which will allow for on-the-spot payment of fines for not wearing masks and businesses not adhering to COVID safe measures.
He says the legislation will seek to make businesses equally accountable for non-compliance by employees and customers.
Bainimarama says for example, business owners who allow patrons into their establishment without masks would be penalized as well as the patron and after more than three violations, businesses maybe shut down.
The Prime Minister adds that a few acts of carelessness and inattention, as they have seen happen in all countries, brought this virus down on us again, but we were prepared.
He says health professionals and other public personnel have worked tirelessly, as they did a year ago, to contain this virus and get us back to normal.
Bainimarama says we are making progress again but the rest is up to everyone and not just the Ministry of Health, the RFMF or the Police.
He says we need individuals, families, communities, businesses, businesswomen and men to participate in making these measures work.
