Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has announced progressive relaxation of the health restrictions relating to COVID-19 – which include the nationwide curfew to start at 10pm and go until 5am from tonight, the resumption of all passenger inter-island travel, by air and sea from tomorrow and social gatherings of 20 people or fewer will be allowed from Monday.
Bainimarama also says if even one new case is detected, the most stringent health protection measures will snap right back into place.
He confirms that nightclubs, swimming pools, cinemas and gyms will all continue to remain closed.
Houses of worship will remain closed until further notice.
All schools will remain closed as well until the 12th of June 2020.
This weekend
is Fiji’s Weekend of Readiness and Responsibility
People should
maintain social distancing, use sanitisers and wear masks - PM
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says they have declared this weekend as Fiji’s Weekend of Readiness and Responsibility.
Bainimarama says through the weekend, the government needs to see Fijians take greater ownership over the health containment measures.
He says they plan to gradually scale back a handful of the health protection measures.
Bainimarama says the Weekend of Readiness and Responsibility starts with the Leptospirosis, Typhoid, Dengue and Diarrhoea Campaign.
He says every Fijian should spend this weekend tracking down breeding grounds for mosquitoes as this has become a concern after Tropical Cyclone Harold.
He has asked people to empty out containers, tyres or rubbish that hold water and for people to cooperate with medical teams if they conduct screenings in your area.
Bainimarama also says from Sunday morning, as inter-island travel resumes, all transportation vehicles, whether that’s taxis, mini-buses, buses, boats or planes, are encouraged to provide hand sanitiser to passengers upon boarding, and members of the public are encouraged to wear masks while travelling.
He also stresses that through the weekend, all of the advice remains in effect.
Physical distancing of two metres should be maintained at all times.
The Prime Minister stresses for people not to share cigarettes, or takis or bilos during grog sessions.
He has also stressed for people to limit unnecessary person-to-person contact as much as humanly possible.
Through the weekend, the coronavirus testing will also press ahead.
COVID-19 remains public enemy number one – PM
Government restocks thousands of COVID-19 tests
Only 2% of the tests in Fiji have returned COVID-19 positive
The Prime Minister says as we see some of the restrictions lifted, it’s vital the Fijian public go about their lives responsibly, in ways that do not compromise the practice of physical distancing and put Fijian lives at risk.
Bainimarama says coronavirus is still public enemy number one.
He says since this Monday, they have tested 114 more samples for COVID-19, and all have returned negative.
The Prime Minister says the health screening effort in Ba is progressing extremely well.
Bainimarama says nationwide, the government has restocked with thousands of COVID-19 tests, a step critical to boosting confidence in the success of the health containment efforts.
He also says 10 of the 18 patients have made full recoveries from the virus.
There are eight active cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Fiji, meaning that, for the first time, more Fijians have recovered than are currently still living with the virus.
Bainimarama has applauded every Fijian responsible for aiding these recoveries and delivering us this beacon of hope.
But he says as relieved as we all are, we must still reckon with some sobering realities.
The Prime Minister says no confirmed case of coronavirus in Fiji has been in a person over the age of 65. He also says most of the patients have had no underlying health conditions.
Bainimarama says his point is, in Fiji, so far we have been blessed by demographics, and more vulnerable Fijians have been spared. But he says if we lull ourselves into complacency, that could all too tragically change.
He also says across the world, over 186,000 lives have been lost to this virus.
Bainimarama says every day, tens of thousands more add to the total. He says we cannot allow Fiji to fall victim to the same fate.
He stresses that we are at war with COVID-19, we must stay vigilant, we must stay disciplined and we must keep ourselves one step ahead of this killer virus.
The Prime Minister also says if we keep the course, we will be able to confidently rank ourselves among the nations leading the world in stomping out coronavirus.
He says our success so far leaves us reason for cautious optimism.
Bainimarama says they have isolated every close contact of every case of the virus in our country, a world-leading feat.
He says of the over 900 samples they have tested in Fiji, only 2% have returned positive, compared from up to 19% or even higher in harder-hit countries.
High-need households whose homes have been badly damaged after TC Harold will be assisted - PM
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the Ministry of Housing and Community Development is working to provide relief to high-need households affected by Tropical Cyclone Harold as quickly as possible.
According to the latest NDMO report, 635 homes across the country were destroyed by TC Harold, with over 2,100 suffering damage.
Bainimarama says as has been the case in the wake of previous cyclones, the government will be subsidising the cost of government-procured building materials for eligible households, those making less than $15,000 a year, on a one-third, two-thirds basis.
He says alternately, those applying for assistance can cover the cost of all building materials but pay more affordable rates based on government bulk-buying, and then have those discounted materials delivered to them with all shipping costs covered.
Bainimarama confirms that trees felled by the cyclone are also being repurposed into timber that will be provided free-of-charge for impacted homes by the Ministry of Forestry.
The Prime Minister says for anyone benefiting from this programme who cannot secure carpenters of their own, the Ministry of Housing and Community Development’s carpentry team, assisted by the Public Rental Board, will be provided free of charge for repairs and reconstruction.
He says they will also be assisting with building plans to ensure the new homes are cyclone-resilient, and they will also be carrying out site inspections to keep everything up to standard.
The Prime Minister also says assistance has made its way to the hardest-hit areas across Fiji, with thousands of food ration packs and other supplies being delivered to even the most remote corners of the country.
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