Fiji now has 24 COVID-19 cases as 4 new cases were recorded on Saturday.
This has resulted in containment areas in Lami, Suva, Nasinu, Nausori, Nadi and Lautoka.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says 2 of these cases are in Nadi, 1 is in Lautoka and 1 is in Makoi.
He says 3 of the cases involved persons who attended the funeral that the Health Ministry has identified as a super-spreader event, including a husband and wife who circulated through the community.
Doctor Fong says they were placed in quarantine on Friday, and the Ministry of Health is tracking their movements and contacts for the five days before they went into quarantine.
Regarding the Makoi case, Doctor Fong says they are not certain of the source of the woman’s infection, but the Ministry of Health is busy doing contact tracing to determine who she may have been in contact with before or after she was infected.
He says the woman from Makoi and her husband have been placed in quarantine, but prudence requires them to treat this case as a possible community transmission.
Doctor Fong says because they cannot yet pin down the movements of these people and identify all their contacts, the Health Ministry is forced to take strict precautionary measures against the possibility that the virus has spread within the Lami, Suva and Nausori areas and within the Nadi-Lautoka area.
He says once they receive further information regarding the Makoi case, there will be appropriate variations to these measures.
Doctor Fong says their purpose is to keep people from circulating unnecessarily.
He says if people don’t move, the virus won’t move.
Beginning at 4am tomorrow, when the curfew period ends, and for the next 14 days, the greater public will not be allowed in or out of the following containment zones :
Lami to Suva Nausori areas - For a period of 14 days, they will be closing off exits at the checkpoints, starting from 4am tomorrow morning, the 26th of April: beginning from Wainadoi to Tamavua-i- Wai which is the Lami containment area, Tamavua-i-Wai to 8 Miles near Rups Mega in Nakasi which is the Suva containment area and 8 Miles near Rups Mega in Nakasi to Logani Village on Kings Road which is the Nausori containment area.
Doctor Fong says the Nadi to Lautoka containment area will be divided into two zones — Nadi Zone will begin from Momi Junction to Lomolomo Police Post and from Lomolomo Police Post to Nacilau.
Doctor Fong says the current free movement between Lautoka to Nadi will no longer be allowed for the next 14 days beginning tomorrow.
Only persons travelling for medical purposes will be allowed through checkpoints.
All non-essential businesses must remain closed.
Doctor Fong says supermarkets and shops selling food and other essential items will remain open so that people can buy these essential items within their respective containment zones.
Similar to other essential services, markets will remain open only in and for the respective containment zones.
Pharmacies will also remain open.
The Permanent Secretary for Health says food and essential goods will remain on the shelves of our shops, markets and supermarkets.
He urges people not run to the supermarkets and bulk buy goods this afternoon as doing so will crowd these stores and put every shopper at risk.
Restaurants can remain open but only for takeaway and delivery orders within and for the containment zones. Limited banking services will be available, as will FNPF and Fiji Revenue and Customs Service.
