Border Health Protection Unit established

A Border Health Protection Unit has been established to oversee and facilitate the health protection activities and programs conducted at our border and ports of entry to ensure our protection against trans-border infectious disease spread.

Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says the unit will work together with the relevant military, police, and border control units providing the leadership and support needed to strengthen our quarantine operations.

He says quarantine protocols are currently undergoing review to define green list countries and/or areas and revise the pre-departure and in-country quarantine and testing protocols for fully vaccinated travellers.

Doctor Fong adds in keeping with the science, it is anticipated that pre-departure, quarantine and in-country testing conditions for fully vaccinated persons from “green” listed countries will be less stringent than then-current conditions.

The Border Health Protection Unit Facility has been established in the CAAF compound in Namaka, Nadi, and this facility will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing quarantine operations.

Doctor Fong says their function will be supplemented by a container laboratory that has arrived and is situated close to the border health protection facility.

He says as a result of an ongoing collaborative effort between WHO, DFAT, ADB, Fiji Airways, and the Government, the laboratory will have the capacity to process around 500 tests per day.

Doctor Fong has revealed that the unit will establish and inculcate a no-blame work culture and environment that allow quarantine officers to freely report on breaches of COVID safe protocols or symptoms of disease identified in any individual at the border.

The unit will also engage advanced technologies and CCTV support that support and facilitate improved border health surveillance and oversight.

It will also enforce the restriction on inbound international travellers to only fully vaccinated individuals except in some emergencies.

Doctor Fong says they will also enforce the requirement for all quarantine personnel engaged in quarantine operations to be fully vaccinated.

READ FULL COVID-19 UPDATES.