Our quarantine protocols are currently undergoing review to define green list countries and/or areas – Dr Fong

The Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong says their quarantine protocols are currently undergoing review to define green list countries and/or areas and revise the pre-departure and in-country quarantine and testing protocols for fully vaccinated travellers.

Dr Fong says in keeping with the science, it is anticipated that pre-departure, quarantine and in-country testing conditions for fully vaccinated persons from “green” listed countries will be less stringent than then-current conditions.

He also says the Border Health Protection Unit has been established to oversee and facilitate the health protection activities and programs conducted at our border and ports of entry to ensure our protection against trans-border infectious disease spread.

Dr Fong adds the unit will work together with the relevant military, police, and border control units providing the leadership and support needed to strengthen our quarantine operations.

The Border Health Protection Unit Facility has been established in the CAAF compound in Namaka, Nadi, and this facility will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing quarantine operations.

Their function will be supplemented by a container laboratory that has arrived and is situated close to the border health protection facility and has the capacity to process around 500 tests per day.

In addition, the Unit will also facilitate the establishment of a Slot Management System with the support of Fiji Airways to manage their quarantine capacity at designated quarantine facilities, enforce the restriction on inbound international travellers to only fully vaccinated individuals (except in some emergencies), enforce the requirement for all quarantine personnel engaged in quarantine operations to be fully vaccinated, engage advanced technologies and CCTV support that support and facilitate improved border health surveillance and oversight and inculcate a no-blame work culture and environment that allow quarantine officers to freely report on breaches of COVID safe protocols or symptoms of disease identified in any individual at the border.