There are 18 new COVID-19 cases since the update last night.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says 10 cases are from 2 related families in Waila, 4 cases are from a household in Tacirua while 2 cases are from a household in Muanikoso.
Doctor Fong says they are early in the investigations into these new cases and currently no link has been established with other cases.
However he says these latest cases involve a number of people who visited well-known shops, grocery stores and other commercial facilities in the area, which will make contact tracing and data they can gain from the careFIJI app very important.
Please be sure to have the app installed and running on your phone, with Bluetooth turned on.
Doctor Fong says a number of recent cases acknowledged that they did not observe proper physical distancing as they moved about the community, and attended social events such as grog parties.
Another contact of the Samabula cluster is positive while an Extra Supermarket worker tested positive on their final swab in quarantine.
In addition to an expanded Muanikoso screening zone, the Health Ministry has established screening zones in parts of Samabula, Waila and Tacirua, where they are now conducting intensive screening and testing.
Doctor Fong says they repeat the advice to wear masks, wash hands frequently, observe physical distancing always, and avoid crowds.
And please do not attend social events, and do not invite people in from outside your household.
It is also very important to maintain discipline at work by staying within your bubbles if your workplace has them and by keeping your masks firmly in place.
Don’t let your guard down, set an example in your community, and encourage family, neighbors and people you meet to observe these common-sense practices. This is very serious.
He stresses they will now be making it mandatory to wear a mask or face covering if you live in a containment area and are outside your home.
