Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says he does not see any reason why a State of Emergency should be declared after SODELPA MP Niko Nawaikula said a declaration of State of Emergency will only help the Minister for Health in this current crisis.
Nawaikula questioned the Prime Minister in parliament today why this option is not been looked at for the whole of Fiji or even parts of Fiji.
The Prime Minister says the current situation is dealt with by the Ministry of Health and under the Health Act.
Bainimarama also highlighted that 235 government assets which include vehicles and boats have been allocated to the various DISMAC operations.
He says this has helped provide surged capacity for screening, providing logistic support for swabbing, logistic support for FEMAT Field Hospital, community awareness and manning of call centres, for 158 and 161.
Bainimarama says they also helped in coordinating and facilitating government food rations distribution in the Central Division, coordinate private sector and CSO’s food ration distribution and surge capacity and logistic support through vaccination programs.
He says in the Western Division alone when the transmission started, the Lautoka Hospital was compromised and when the first lockdown was experienced, a total of 26,000 calls were received from the public inquiring about the containment areas, food distributions request and access of screening and swabbing facilities.
Bainimarama says to date, 34 isolation facilities have been set up across the four divisions.
