PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says an article published in this newspaper which implied passengers on a cruise ship had not been screened for the coronavirus was “totally false”.
“Recently, The Fiji Times ran a story about cruise ship passengers in Suva, implying that they had not been adequately screened before entering the country,” the PM said in a statement released yesterday.
“That was totally false, those passengers were vetted and screened at their port-of-entry in Lautoka.
“This is exactly the sort of fake, fear-mongering news that cannot be tolerated, particularly on an issue that relates so directly to the health and wellbeing of our people.”
The PM said Fiji’s health experts — led by Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete and the highly-qualified team of experts including Dr Wendy Snowdon of the World Health Organization — have ensured that every passenger entering the country, whether by plane or ship, was screened for the virus the moment they first stepped into the country.
“Let me be clear: Reports implying anything but this reality are irresponsible.
“This is an issue of public health and the media must respect the facts and provide full context in all of their reporting.”
In response, The Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley said the article titled “No virus screening” published on Thursday, quoted a Hungarian couple, Mr and Mrs Otto Gecser, as saying they had not been screened when they disembarked the cruise vessel Voyager of the Seas at the Kings Wharf, Suva.
“However, in the same article, the couple said stringent measures had been undertaken onboard the ship prior to their arrival in Fiji,” he said.
“In the same article, the Health Ministry’s Head of Health Protection Dr Aalisha Sahu Khan also explained there was an established process where cruise ships made a declaration and were boarded by health officials at the Lautoka Port, the vessel’s first point of entry to Fiji.
“She said once the vessel was cleared from Lautoka, there was no need for passengers to be screened again in Suva.”
Wesley said it was unfortunate that the Prime Minister had chosen to attack the newspaper. 7
