The Ministry of Health and Medical Services aims to screen at least 100,000 people in the Suva lockdown area by Thursday. The success of this would determine the lifting of the lockdown.

The Minister, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, said this needed to be done to be sure that there was no community transmission, making it safe to lift the lockdown.

“The stakeholders have gone through 37,000 screenings as we speak. They report lots of families being welcoming to them,” he said.

“We have to go through 100,000 screenings by Thursday evening. We are getting more and more staff on the ground. Remember we are already stretched because we have COVID-19 and we have TC Harold.”

Dr Waqainabete said the current number of 30 teams would be increased to 50 teams to ensure more ground is covered.

He said they have had people on the ground making these screenings possible. He said this was important because when he advises the Government on the need to lift the lockdown, he has to be sure that there is no community transmission.

He said this was the step taken to lift the Lautoka lockdown, where some 50,000 people were screened.

“Again, I am asking for Fiji; if you have people coming to you to screen you, allow them in and co-operate,” he said.

Dr Waqainabete said he was disappointed with some people from the Nabua confined area breaching the curfew. He said these people were supposed to be in isolation.

He said there are laws and punishments available for those who do this, but they do not want to tow the hard line.

He is hoping for greater co-operation from everyone and said families can enjoy a yaqona mix at home provided nobody from the outside is invited.

He said people had to bear with the regulations because that was what was required.

Three flights arrived into Nadi over the weekend from Los Angeles, Brisbane and Sydney.

Dr Waqainabete said most passengers and crew had been kept at Government funded quarantine facilities.

Meanwhile patients one to five had been re-tested and while they were no longer showing symptoms of COVID-19, they all tested positive.

This means that no one in Fiji has recovered from COVID-19.

Edited by Jonathan Bryce

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