Holding it together!
SAURARA Kula, who featured in yesterday’s People column and is a popular face who sits near the BSP Bank in Naqara, has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but she does not see this as a hindrance to her business.
According to her, it has not been easy but her dedication towards her business keeps her going.
Saurara described how she opened up her business and how she sacrifices her time and effort to manage it.
She is committed towards her business and she is lucky to have a supportive family.
The story from the Garden Island was yet another wonderful piece, thanks to Serafina and The Fiji Times!
RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM, Nadawa, Nasinu
Return to work
WE are told that by allowing 140 or so high-risk barber shops to open under strict COVID-19 guidelines, we were able to get almost 500 employees return to work.
A noble deed indeed.
However, if our focus is only on bringing people back to work, then we should be equally fair to other high-risk businesses such as restaurants, taverns and nightclubs.
Let them also open under strict guidelines.
Extend curfew hours back to 11pm.
This will result in a couple of thousands of workers returning to their regular employment.
BHARAT MORRIS, Vatuwaqa, Suva
Economic, baby boom
ECONOMIC boom khalas, baby boom aweh, nah!
AREKI DAWAI, Suva
Land use
IT is really good to see how unused land has been used to plant and farm.
Vacant land and lots that were usually used as rubbish dumps are now being cleaned by some families to plant their root crops and vegetables.
It’s actually giving these areas a facelift.
A facelift that greatly benefits many families and the surrounding environment.
Vinaka COVID-19.
FULORI TURAGA, Tacirua
Enforce bans
WITH a notable surge in curfew breaches linked to alcohol and kava (FT 14/06), a pragmatic solution would be to immediately enforce the closure of all retail/ wholesale liquor establishments (including supermarket liquor counters) and ban the sale of kava until Fiji is declared COVID-free.
“Paani piyo” and stay hydrated.
NISHANT SINGH, Lautoka
Who benefits
OVER a century of COVID- 19 positive cases for a single day.
Looking at the overall picture, who or what is the current situation in Fiji benefiting?
MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF, Natabua, Lautoka
Hope and prayer
I REFER to yesterday’s (14/6) The Fiji Times front page story, Hope, pray for the best, in which you quoted me saying that “the Government should hope and pray that nothing else will go wrong” in its COVID strategy.
Not quite.
I said that was the Government’s strategy.
And that is the problem.
Hope and prayer are not strategies.
The Government’s whole plan depends on things staying the way they are.
That is, that all new cases will stay within clusters it can contain and isolate.
But that plan is already failing.
So what is the Government’s next plan?
Right now, my greatest fear is for the health of our medical frontliners – doctors, nurses and other health workers.
Their numbers are limited and as the number of infected people in Fiji grows, the probability that they will be infected becomes greater.
They have been working long hours, at ever greater risk to themselves, to execute a politician’s plan they do not believe in.
Why isn’t the Government thinking of them and listening to them?
And, for our critics who demand a plan from us – it was in our statement but perhaps The Fiji Times space restrictions could not accommodate it.
We say: – a lockdown is necessary. The medical professionals know best how long the lockdown should be, how to stage it and how to manage it; – even though this Government does not build partnerships with others, it is not too late to ask business, community and faith organisations for help; and – if we work together, we can organise and we can give help to those who will need it in a short lockdown and we can protect vital industries. But we must do it together, bringing together all our people and their talents.
BIMAN PRASAD, Leader – NFP, Suva
No lockdown
THE Hon. Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, said in his speech, “So those who now call for 28 days of lockdown misunderstand the virus and disregard what that order would mean for our people”.
Lautoka went on lockdown and we contained the virus.
He also said that a prolonged lockdown would mean economic disaster.
What we are witnessing now, with so many people being affected, is better than a lockdown.
I can’t see the logic.
Is there a real reason for the no lockdown?
ALLEN LOCKINGTON, Kava Place, Lautoka
Replenish FNPF
I WONDER if it might be possible to convince our overseas donors to allow part of their cash donations to Fiji to be utilised to replenish the FNPF members general funds that was used during this pandemic.
VIJAY P. MADHAVAN, Borron Rd, Suva
Curfew option
IF lockdown is not an option, then I believe curfew is not an option too!
NARAYAN REDDY, Lautoka
Heed advice
IF people within the Nausori to Lami containment zone take heed of advice, there will be minimal transmission and less positive cases.
Sadly, they are not.
Anthony Sahai, stop gallivanting and stay home my boy!
WISE MUAVONO, Balawa, Lautoka
Corruption continues
WE read under “Corruption mind-set” (FT 14/6) that according to Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts chairman Alvick Maharaj, corruption “continues to impact Fijians”.
Why is that so some 15 years after the “clean up” coup? So what has that coup accomplished on the corruption front?
RAJEND NAIDU, Sydney, Australia
Injections, infections
THE basic aim is to have more injected persons, and much less or even zero, infected persons, this is done by reducing the rate of infection, by increasing the current rate of injections, thereby creating people with immunity, to this virus in all our communities.
EDWARD BLAKELOCK, Admiral Circle, Pacific Harbour
Thank you Times
GOING through Unkol Allen’s library, I came across old copies of The Fiji Times.
I got to know that in the late 1800s the pigeons used to carry news in viles.
The Fiji Times survived the two world wars, in 1918 and 1945.
Thank you The Fiji Times archives.
Thank you Unkol Allen for keeping all the old copies of the newspaper.
NAVNEET RAM, Lautoka
Change lifestyle
I WOULD have more respect for the grog swipers in this column if they gave up their bad, unhealthy, expensive and what I believe is a useless habit and instead donated that money to the needy.
I wonder how many of them smoke as well.
Otherwise, all their actions and words and those donations you seem to hand out with great fanfare reek of hypocrisy.
Now is not the time to indulge and enjoy the good old days.
Now is the time to change your lifestyle and get vaccinated.
JAN NISSAR NSW, Australia
One laptop per child
THE one laptop or one tablet per child is a great way to go with e-Learning.
With COVID cases growing, I am sure my Government’s promise of one tablet or one laptop per child will come true.
NARAYAN REDDY, Lautoka
High virus numbers
SO are we going to keep getting numbers higher without any solutions?
Those who are against the total lockdown, do you really think the present plan is working?
Can they please come up with some solution to combat this increase.
This is the real world, no Bollywood situation.
KIRTI PATEL, Lautoka
Our decisions matter
WE are making some important decisions in Fiji’s history related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These decisions must take into account human rights, transparency and accountability.
Regulations are important in driving behavioural change.
Henceforth, for this to happen we need policy changes.
We have enacted legislation on the coronavirus, which is a good thing, but how this could be rewired into the brain of each one of us is crucial.
Succinctly, it is clear that we cannot have full lockdowns because of the negative economic implications it will have upon the masses.
Therefore, the public is expected to act in a COVID-19 safe manner so that we can minimise new clusters while existing clusters are contained.
These laws are not a magic wand that will solve our problems of reducing the daily COVID-19 cases.
It is about us as individuals and the decisions we are making pertaining to COVID-19 that will bring the virus under control.
PRANIL RAM, Votualevu, Nadi
British monarchy
KING George the second, King of Great Britain and Ireland, reigned from June, 1727 to October, 1760.
In 1748, he decided that the formal annual celebration of his birthday be moved from November 9, the date he was born, to June during the summer time in Great Britain.
The King believed that The Trooping The Colour Parade which is part of the official birthday celebration would be fully enjoyed in June.
Hence, from then on to date, the British monarch’s official birthday is celebrated in the second weekend in June.
When Queen Elizabeth the second became the Queen of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth in 1952, Her Majesty continued with the tradition set by King George the second.
Her Majesty’s actual birthdate is April 21.
Her Majesty is now 95.
What a blessed life.
The last time Fiji officially celebrated Her Majesty’s birthday was on Monday, June 11, 2012.
I am really sad being a British Subject citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies from November 17, 1943 to October 10, 1970, Fiji Citizen and British Subject from October 11, 1970 to January 22, 1987.
However, I am really honoured to be a British Subject for 44 years, more than half of my lifetime to date.
I will continue to honour and respect the motto of our beloved Fiji: Fear God and honour the Queen.
God save the Queen.
PITA K NACUVA, Griffith Place, Tamavua, Suva
Variant of concern
The World Health Organization (WHO) has labelled the COVID-19 Delta variant as a variant of concern.
It is ravaging Fiji now.
Over a century of COVID-19 positive cases for a single day is a record of concern.
Looking at the overall picture, who or what is the current situation in Fiji benefiting?
Fijians are getting sick.
Sick people can die.
People have protested for food.
This period in Fiji is of concern.
MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF, Natabua, Lautoka
