General outpatients in hospitals and health centres around the country will operate as normal today.

This was confirmed made by Ministry of Health and Medical Services Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong.

Dr Fong said health care workers around the country have also been deployed into various communities this morning to conduct field checks as Category 5 TC Yasa approached the Fiji group.

He said teams are currently in evacuation centers to check on those being evacuated and attend to communities who require immediate health attention.

“To ensure that COVID-19 safety precautions are followed, COVID standard operating procedures for Evacuation Centers will be sent around to supplement field checks.”

Dr Fong has advised members of the public to refrain from swimming or wading in flooded water to avoid waterborne illnesses.

“All drinking water must be boiled, particularly with possible water supply disruptions and flash flooding which can cause contamination. Boiling water prior to consumption is important as this will decrease the chances of contracting waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, leptospirosis, and hepatitis A.

“I urge you all to keep your surroundings clean and free of any such containers or receptacles to minimize the risk of increase in the mosquito population and with a proactive approach we can continue to keep these numbers low,” Dr Fong added.