Suva Retailers Association welcomes the relaxation of the COVID-safe protocols and complete removal of the curfew hours

The Suva Retailers Association has welcomed the recent announcement by the Acting Prime Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum on the further relaxation of the COVID-safe protocols and complete removal of the curfew hours.

Association President, Jitesh Patel says they congratulate the Fijian Government for all the work and commitment in enforcing the protocols and lockdowns early in 2020, regulating the protocols over the two years and taking this very bold and courageous step in opening borders and relaxing restrictions.

Patel says the Association executives and members have been working alongside the Ministry of Health, the Fiji Police Force and the Suva City Council to ensure that their places of operations adhered to the safe protocols over the last two years and while this announcement is a relief, the Association advises members to remain cautious and continue to always enforce the protocols.

He says COVID-19 is part of our lives now and therefore activities like sanitizing regularly, washing hands with soap and water, and wearing masks when in crowds should also be normal forms of behaviour.

Patel adds that the Association believes that this relaxation of the protocols will translate to more shoppers, more shopping hours and more business for operators.