The possibility of reintroducing earlier curfews and placing more restrictions is always under consideration - Dr Fong

Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says the possibility of reintroducing earlier curfews, placing more restrictions on gatherings and escalating masking mandates is always under consideration.

He stresses that they however plead with the public to demonstrate good sense and apply these restrictions on themselves without the need for directives and strong enforcement actions to remind them of the COVID safe measures.

Doctor Fong adds moving forward, in dealing with the current situation the Ministry of Health and Medical Services will continue to focus on vaccination, suppressing transmission, protecting health services and monitoring the key indicators which is cases and transmission/testing and test positivity/severity/hospitalizations/deaths to inform local decision-making and adjust divisional and sub-divisional action plans.

He further says they will continue to roll out the booster dose program for everyone over the age of 18 years.

Doctor Fong says they will continue to test if you develop any COVID-19 like symptoms that include any of the following: cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, fatigue/extreme tiredness, loss of taste or smell, headache, aches, and pains, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, red eyes, skin rash. Please visit a screening clinic nearest you or call 158.

Doctor Fong is stressing that testing will be prioritized for high-risk individuals; vulnerable and symptomatic persons and household contacts.

This includes people over the age of 50 years, with underlying health conditions: diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, asthma, are obese or are pregnant.

He says their contact tracing protocols are being escalated, therefore, please keep your careFIJI app switched on when you are out of your house and scan your QR code when entering or leaving any premises

Doctor Fong adds both quarantine for close contacts of cases and isolation for positive cases will be for 10 days duration and there is no need for exit testing unless a close contact becomes symptomatic during quarantine.

He adds in all the divisions they are setting up intermediate care facilities to cater to those high-risk individuals who are stable but need facility isolation to ensure better monitoring.

Doctor Fong also says they have in place measures to reduce the risk of people with severe COVID-19 dying at home, or coming to a medical facility in the late stages of severe illness.

The Permanent Secretary adds they will admit vulnerable positive persons to intermediate care facilities if they cannot be well observed in the home setting.

He says these measures however will require extra resources over and above what they have and as such they will continue to work with their community engagement and various community groups to provide support.