PM to have press conference at 3pm today on COVID-19 situation

Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama will have a national announcement in relation to COVID-19 in Fiji at 3pm today.

Bainimarama is currently meeting with senior government officials regarding the COVID situation in the country and the measures to be taken.

We will have live coverage of the Prime Minister’s announcement on our website, fijivillage.

The announcement later today will cover when essential businesses, including banks, supermarkets, pharmacies, and other essential service providers in the greater Nadi and Lautoka area, may safely resume operation with strict physical distancing enforced. For now, all schools and businesses will be closed in Nadi and Lautoka.

In a statement the Ministry of Health has announced a lockdown of the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area after a 53-year-old woman of Nadi who is a first generation contact of the soldier that tested positive for COVID-19 has also registered a positive COVID-19 test result.

They are defining the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area as the areas spanning from Momi Junction and the Mulomulo Police Post bearing towards Sigatoka, to Nacilau, Vakabuli, and the Waiwai crossing bearing towards Ba.

Within the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area, Police have enforced a 24-hour curfew which will end at 4am tomorrow.

They say all Fijians in the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area should stay home and public gatherings should not happen adding no services should run except for essential medical services.

Passenger travel out of this area has been halted by road, air, and sea. Passenger travel into the area will be permitted over the next 24 hours for Fijians who reside within the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area. However, those allowed to enter the area must head straight home and will not be allowed to come out of the lockdown area.

For the rest of Fiji, workplaces, businesses and inter-island shipping services may remain open. However, the government encourages people to avoid non-essential travel and large gatherings. Outside the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area, curfew hours will remain from 11pm to 4am.

The Ministry will also be re-activating fever clinics within the Greater Nadi and Lautoka Area to keep people with fevers away from vulnerable people who visit Health Centres and into separate, dedicated spaces specially designed to effectively identify possible COVID-19 cases.

The Ministry says they are more equipped than they have ever been to contain the spread of the virus together.