Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has made it clear that the Suva lockdown which is scheduled to be lifted on Friday morning, can and will easily be extended if the government is not satisfied with the number of Fijians screened by the mobile health teams and fever clinics.
Bainimarama says this week, they have massively stepped up fever screening in the Suva confined area.
He says the mobile teams have been equipped with new thermal guns and scanners.
The Prime Minister says by Thursday, they plan to screen over 150,000 people but to do so, people’s cooperation is key.
He says it only takes a few moments to have your temperature checked so please, cooperate with the medical teams when they visit your home.
Bainimarama says in addition to the mobile screening teams, the fever clinics across the country have seen over 5,000 men, women and children come in to get a check-up.
The medical workers at these clinics will be able to tell you if you need further testing, whether that’s for COVID, or other viruses like the common cold, flu or dengue.
Bainimarama says globally, COVID-19 is one of the most devastating killers in generations, with deaths rising past 100,000.
He says to some people in Fiji, those tragedies may seem distant but they are not a world away.
Right here in the Pacific, COVID-19 has taken the lives of five people in Guam, nine in New Zealand, and 61 in Australia.
Bainimarama says if this virus spirals into an epidemic in Fiji, you or someone you love could all too easily be counted among the victims.
The Prime Minister says coronavirus comes with many unknowns but around the world, it is clear that physical distancing is the only strategy proven to beat COVID-19.
He says some countries thought they had the virus under control and went so far as to relax restrictions.
Sadly, they’ve seen case numbers flare back up.
Bainimarama says Fiji cannot risk those same mistakes.
He says Fiji acted early to squash the spread of the virus.
Bainimarama says they shut our borders to high-risk countries, they closed nightclubs, gyms, swimming pools and banned contact sports.
He says the government has extended school holidays, a stay-at-home order is in place unless Fijians have life-sustaining reasons to travel and the nationwide curfew is in effect from 8pm to 5am.
He says day by day, these directives are helping win the war against this virus but any success in this campaign won’t mean a thing if the measures lift even one day too early.
Bainimarama says these rules certainly won’t count for anything if Fijians carelessly dismiss them.
He says these measures cannot relent and neither can our willingness to do the right thing.
He stresses to people not to go outside for no good reason, not to needlessly socialise, not to meet up for grog sessions and get a shock when you find yourself behind bars.
Bainimarama says use time at home with your families to think about what really matters –– care for our country and love for each other.
He says let us draw strength from that compassion; strength that can sustain us through the days, weeks and months it will take to overcome this challenge.
Any civil servant or employee of statutory bodies of government companies should be dismissed if they are convicted of violating COVID-19 directive - PM
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama believes that any civil servant or employee of statutory bodies and government commercial companies should be dismissed if they are convicted of violating the government’s COVID-19 health protection directives.
Bainimarama says he is extremely disappointed to hear the news that a civil servant was arrested over the weekend for a curfew violation.
He says let’s remember, no civil servant or any employee of statutory bodies and government-owned commercial companies has received a pay cut.
The Prime Minister says let’s also remember, these Fijians are mandated by the Constitution to adhere to high standards of professionalism and integrity, and faithfully implement Fiji’s laws.
He says in the COVID-19 Response Budget, the government recommended that he, his ministers and assistant ministers and all members of parliament take a 20% pay cut in solidarity with the Fijians suffering COVID-19’s economic ramifications.
Bainimarama says they did so because they are prepared to lead by example and with compassion.
He says they did so because when Fijians look to him and other elected officials, they deserve to see examples worth striving to follow.
The Prime Minister says that same level of responsibility applies to any member of any organisation funded by the taxpayers of Fiji.
6 individuals from Nabua Settlement will be held accountable for their irresponsibility – PM
The Prime Minister says the six individuals in Nabua who broke compulsory quarantine over the weekend, have been tracked down and each will be held accountable for their irresponsibility.
These six individuals had earlier left the quarantined area at Nabua Muslim League Settlement.
Voreqe Bainimarama says the government’s present COVID-19 response is heavily targeted at three areas at high-risk of local transmission: the Nabua Settlement in Suva, the Soasoa settlement in the North, and Fijians under supervised quarantine in Nadi after returning from overseas.
He says in total, 252 Fijians who returned home from overseas are in government-funded facilities for 14 days of supervised quarantine.
They are being closely monitored for flu-like symptoms and tested if necessary.
Bainimarama says any Fijian who returns home goes straight to one of these facilities, no exceptions.
Of the 649 COVID-19 tests to date, Fiji’s total confirmed cases continue to stand 16, and all of these patients are in stable condition.
However, none have been cleared of the virus as yet.
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