Retailers Association President says they think a complete lockdown will flush COVID-19 out of the community

Suva Retailers Association President, Jitesh Patel says they are thinking a complete lockdown will flush COVID-19 out of the community.

Patel says as the Permanent Secretary for Health has been saying, if people do not take this virus seriously, we will continue to see a rise in community cases.

He also says the supermarkets and other major outlets that are open can become super spreaders if the necessary measures are not taken.

Patel says the reality of the situation is that we will go through a short term loss by doing a lockdown but it will surely flush out the virus.

He says there is still a lot of movement in Suva City, which is very concerning.

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong says if they call for a severe lockdown which goes for about 14 or 21 days, the public will expect that the lockdown must work.

He says a severe lockdown has to be a planned process and this is the kind of planning they are currently indulging in so they can have options.

However, Dr Fong says he is not saying that they will be going for a severe lockdown and they are only doing this so they can have some support measures in place.

He says because of the suffering that people will endure, they will feel that there is no chance the lockdown will not work.

Dr Fong says in order for him to make it work, everyone must remain in their homes but the problem may arise when people start to get desperate.

He says for a lockdown that lasts for a much longer period, they will require their teams to actively move around to ensure the needs of the people are still met.