No one is exempt from quarantine — not even government ministers and high-level civil servants!
When it comes to fighting COVID-19, we accept that tough decisions will have to be made, and there can be no compromises. Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong made no bones about how we will fight the pandemic.
Quarantine requirement, he said, was only changed for some diplomats and high economic value persons who have had quarantine conditions replicated for them in pre-arranged alternative sites, with full costs met by the consul, or company or individual.
This, he explained, does involve a prolonged period of pre-arrival site inspection and sorting pre-agreed measures that ensure the quarantine conditions are replicated well and maintains the overall objective of quarantine.
It is good to know, especially in light of the announcement by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of four new border quarantine cases of COVID-19 yesterday.
This is why we are one of the few countries in the world that are COVID-contained.
For whatever it’s worth, this is a positive reflection of the effort put into policing our border.
Our men and women guarding our border carry our hopes and aspirations.
They serve as a barrier that keeps us safe from the pandemic.
Their role isn’t for the faint-hearted. This is why we continue to acknowledge the efforts put into ensuring the status quo remains for Fiji.
All four new border quarantine cases tested positive during routine quarantine testing, while undergoing mandatory 14-day quarantine in government supervised border quarantine facilities in Nadi.
The first new case was a 42-year-old woman who travelled to Fiji from New Delhi, India, arriving in Nadi on February 24.
She was transferred to the isolation ward at the Lautoka Hospital.
She has developed symptoms and is in a stable condition.
The second case was a 35-year-old man who arrived from Bangalore, India transiting through New Delhi and arriving in Nadi on the same day as the woman.
He was transferred to the isolation ward at the Lautoka Hospital.
The third and fourth border quarantine cases were a 12-year-old male and a 55-year-old woman who travelled together to Fiji from Sacramento, United States of America, arriving in Nadi from Auckland on February 25.
Both returned weak positive test results during routine testing in border quarantine and have no symptoms.
According to the ministry, both were considered historical cases of COVID-19, and would be managed according to standard protocol for positive cases within the isolation ward of the Lautoka Hospital.
Since our first case on March 19 last year, Fiji has now had 63 cases, with seven active cases now admitted at the Lautoka Hospital isolation ward, 54 recoveries and two deaths.
As of yesterday, it has been 319 days since the last case was detected outside border quarantine on April 18, 2020.
We note the reassurance from the ministry and urge Fijians to be vigilant always.
