Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has confirmed that the Suva lockdown will be lifted at 5am tomorrow however schools will remain closed until the 15th of June, all the other public health restrictions will also remain like the nationwide curfew from 8pm to 5am, the 2 metres physical distancing between people remain and the restriction on social gatherings will also remain throughout Fiji.
Restrictions Remain
While declaring a state of natural disaster in Fiji in response to the coronavirus threat, Bainimarama stresses that even though the Suva lockdown is lifting tomorrow morning, every other life-saving directive in place will remain in place.
He says nightclubs, gyms, cinemas and pools stay closed.
Bainimarama says public gatherings are not permitted.
Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum confirms that other workplaces that are not nightclubs, gyms, cinemas and pools can recommence operations.
Bainimarama stresses that physical distancing of two metres from all others should be maintained at all times. He states the end of the lockdown is not cause for celebration, it is not a reason to have large grog sessions or drinking parties.
He also says that it is not a justification to stay out past 8pm and it is not an excuse to leave your homes for no good reason.
Bainimarama also says that the state of natural disaster means that they need to bring every resource in government to bear to take on the crises of contagion and climate change.
Schools to remain closed until June 15th – PM Teachers to report to school wherever they can from Monday - Akbar
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama has announced that schools will not open until the 15th of June.
Bainimarama says this extension recognises that COVID-19 will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future, and we must plan accordingly.
He says the date schools reopen is subject to change based on the situation on the ground at the time.
Minister for Education, Rosy Akbar says classes are expected to begin on the 16th of June however they will only bring back students to school when they are totally sure that we are COVID-19 free.
Akbar confirms that teachers are to report to school, wherever possible from Monday 20th April to facilitate teaching materials for home based teaching activity.
She says in cases where teachers cannot physically report to school, they are to liaise with their heads of schools and work from home.
Akbar has also confirmed that all English, vernacular and test subject project work that form the basis of internal assessment has now been removed from this academic year due to the movement restrictions.
She says that when schools resume for classes, internal assessments will be conducted from Year 1 to Year 8, literacy and numeracy exams for Year 5 and 7 and standard exams for Year 9 and 11 and external exams for year 12 and 13.
Akbar has also confirmed that students will be able to access the Walesi free to air educational channel from the 27th of April and they will be releasing further details on this later. The radio programmes will continue on Radio Fiji 2.
More than 230,000 screenings in the Greater Suva Area expected
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says around 180,000 Fijians in the Suva Confined Area have been screened by the mobile teams and at fever clinics, well beyond the target of 150,000, and an impressive two-thirds of the total population of the largest urban hub.
Bainimarama says today, the total will likely surpass 230,000, meaning that when combined with previous screenings in Lautoka, over 280,000 Fijians have been screened.
He says this represents the most ambitious public health screening campaign in Fijian history.
The Prime Minister says that success is shared by our healthcare heroes, our disciplined forces and the thousands of Fijians who stepped up and got themselves screened.
Bainimarama says they have also successfully identified and quarantined all of the close contacts of the Suva COVID-19 cases – and these Fijians will remain in quarantine for 28 days.
He says over the months to come, the government will expand large-scale screening to Nadi, Ba, Tavua, Rakiraki, Labasa, Savusavu, Sigatoka and Korovou. The Prime Minister says the progress of their screening and contact tracing has kept them on track to lift the lockdown of the Suva confined area by 5am tomorrow.
17th COVID-19 patient is a 21 year old Vanua Levu man who travelled back from India with the 54 year old Soasoa man
Quarantine Period now extended to 28 days - PM
The Prime Minister has today confirmed that the quarantine period for COVID-19 patient contacts and the people returning from overseas will now be 28 days.
Voreqe Bainimarama says this follows the confirmation of the 17th case of COVID-19 in Fiji who is a relative and travelling companion of the 54 year old Soasoa man. They both travelled together from India to Singapore and on to Fiji. Bainimarama says since the 21 year old man’s return to Fiji, he has not shown a single symptom of the virus. Upon returning to the country from overseas, this man was in self-quarantine for two full weeks, up until the 5th of April.
He says free of any symptoms throughout the virus’s known two-week incubation period, by all appearances, he was in the clear. The Prime Minister says from this week, they have widened the testing to all close contacts of all confirmed cases, regardless of whether they are displaying symptoms. He says that is how they identified, tested and confirmed this man as the 17th case. The 21 year old man was immediately entered into isolation upon testing positive today where he is in stable condition. His close contacts have been entered into separate isolation facilities. The contact tracing stemming from this latest case has revealed the need for additional lockdowns on Vanua Levu.
The Vunicagi Settlement between Nabouwalu and Labasa will be locked down for the next 28 days. The settlement lies along a short stretch of vital highway which vehicles will still be allowed to traverse under 24/7 police monitoring, as no alternate routes into Labasa exist. However, no passengers will be allowed to disembark or embark: No one in and no one out. Bainimarama says the lockdown of the Soasoa settlement will be extended by another 14 days, in line with the 28-day quarantine policy. Given the continued risk of transmission on Vanua Levu, the ban on inter-island travel by air and sea will remain in effect.
Nabua Settlement still on lockdown
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says the Nabua Muslim League Settlement, the site of two of the coronavirus cases, is still a high-risk region.
Bainimarama says given how long this virus has proven it can stay dormant, the Nabua settlement will remain locked down for an additional 14 days. In the West, Fijians who have returned from overseas remain under closely supervised quarantine.
Bainimarama says one flight is arriving tomorrow from Auckland and every passenger aboard will head straight to one of the government facilities.
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