All Fijians anywhere in the country are to avoid all non-essential travel from today after the 4th confirmed COVID-19 case in Fiji – which is from Suva.
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama has made it clear in his statement to the nation today that no Fijian should travel from their home unless absolutely necessary.
He says people certainly should not be travelling around the country, across divisions or to different islands.
Bainimarama says children should stay at home at all times. He stresses that the elderly should stay at home at all times.
The Prime Minister says breadwinners who can go to work should go home straight after.
For everyone else, every move you make should be for your own health or the health of others.
Bainimarama says you can go out to get food, get medicine, take out money or access another essential service, it is also fine to exercise safely outdoors, so long as you maintain a safe distance from others.
But do not visit friends or family unless absolutely necessary.
The Prime Minister tells people do not host parties, do not needlessly linger and do not mingle with strangers.
Bainimarama says not in 100 years has the world seen a health crisis this severe. He says these are not normal times, and we cannot go about our day-to-day lives as if everything is normal.
He says that ignorance of the reality on the ground and the severity of this disease will get people killed.
The Prime Minister says if one person is exposed to this virus, and ignores the government’s restrictions, they could run around infecting everyone they come into contact with.
Bainimarama says if all those newly-infected people do the same, suddenly, we have a massive outbreak on our hands.
If the Ministry of Health has directed you to self-quarantine, do it.
They will be calling you and checking in on you in-person to make sure you are staying away from the public.
Self-quarantine for 14 days means you must stay in your home. During that time, you should avoid contact with other members of your household as much as humanly possible.
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says people standing closely in the lines will stop from today and everyone has to keep a distance of 2 metres while standing in public lines.
Bainimarama says he has seen images going around of people standing in line and congregating in Suva and other urban areas.
He says if you need to get in line, space yourself out properly and keep 2 metres between you and everyone else.
Bainimarama says if you do not follow this, police officers will be enforcing these measures everywhere in the country.
He says their officers cannot be at all places all the time.
The Prime Minister also says that if you run a business in an industry where remote work is possible, tell your workers to start working from home.
He says we are food secure, there is no need to spend your savings in one frantic go at the supermarkets.
Bainimarama says the government has been informed that some people who ran to the stores to buy up goods in a panic are now wanting to return their groceries to the supermarkets and shops.
He also says the ban on gatherings of 20 people or more remains in full effect.
The Prime Minister says weddings, funerals, concerts and sporting events should all be cancelled.
He says when it comes to people’s health, no event is more important than people’s lives.
The fourth case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Fiji - and this case is from Suva.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says early this morning, they confirmed the fourth case of COVID-19.
This patient is not related to our first three cases.
He is a 28-year-old Fijian man who arrived back into the country on Saturday from Australia.
Bainimarama says when the man left that Fiji Airways flight FJ916 on March 21st, he was not showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
He says he was advised by health officials at the airport to go straight home and self-quarantine for 14 days.
The Prime Minister says it appears the man did everything right.
He says the man went from the airport straight to his flat in Suva, where he immediately self-quarantined.
On Sunday night, while he was still self-quarantined, the 28-year-old man developed mild symptoms – a sore throat, and then a cough.
The man then contacted the Health Ministry and a rapid response team was immediately dispatched to his home, where he was examined and tested.
The patient then remained in self-quarantine until the test for COVID-19 returned positive.
Our fourth case of #COVID19 in Fiji is a 28-year-old man.
— Frank Bainimarama (@FijiPM) March 24, 2020
He appears to have done everything right. He went from the airport straight to his flat in Suva, immediately self-quarantining. When symptoms developed, he called our hotline. He and his family are now safely isolated.
All Fijians should avoid non-essential travel within Fiji. Every move you make should be for your health or the health of others. And whatever you do, maintain a safe distance of two meters between yourself and others. #DontBeCareless
— Frank Bainimarama (@FijiPM) March 24, 2020
My full statement: https://t.co/Y3vsHSDlSd
Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says from tomorrow, there will be no more scheduled passenger Fiji Airways travel into or out of Fiji until further notice.
Bainimarama also says there were 26 people on Fiji Airways flight FJ916 from Sydney to Nadi on Saturday, March 21st, apart from the Suva man who has now tested positive for COVID-19.
Bainimarama says Fiji Airways was practicing safe distancing on the plane, spacing out passengers through their strictly-enforced assigned seating.
He says because of those safety measures, only a handful of others, two other passengers and the three cabin crew who serviced his cabin, risked exposure.
Bainimarama says regardless, all other passengers remain in self-quarantine for a 14-day period.
The Prime Minister says while the risk of transmission from this case is low, the contact tracing teams are currently identifying every single person in Fiji who may have had direct contact with the patient, down to the taxi driver who drove him from Nadi Airport to Suva.
Fiji Airways has already announced they are cutting their international flights by 95%.
This passenger was on one of the final flights from Sydney to get Fijians back home.
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