A total of twenty-four new COVID-19 cases were announced in the Central Division yesterday.

The first 18 are:

• 10 cases are from two related families in Waila;
• Four cases are from a household in Tacirua; and
• Two cases from a household in Muanikoso.

Of the remaining two cases, one is a contact of the Samabula cluster, and the second is an Extra Supermarket worker, who tested positive on their final swab in quarantine.

The other six include:

Two cases are from Muanikoso in Nasinu and are primary contacts of other cases;

The next four cases tested positive while in quarantine and are primary contacts of one of the Extra Supermarket employee cases.

There are now 92 active cases in isolation.

New measures

Last night, Permanent Secretary for Health and Medical Services, Doctor James Fong, said several 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.

“Therefore, we repeat the advice that we have given repeatedly – and that health authorities worldwide have given repeatedly for more than the past year – 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, neighbours and people you meet to observe these common-sense practices. This is very serious.

“We 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.”

Fiji has had 230 cases in total, with 134 recoveries and four deaths, since our first case was reported on March 19, 2020.

A total of 88,294 COVID-19 laboratory tests have been conducted since we started testing in early 2020.

A total of 1629 samples were tested yesterday May 22. The daily test count of 183 tests at the Tamavua Twomey Hospital was added to yesterday’s data, and a miscount of 300 corrected, so now there are 2685 tests in total recorded for testing on May 21, 2021.

The daily average of testing over the last seven days now at 2267 tests per day.

The seven-day average daily test positivity is at 0.4 per cent, with test positivity rising to 1.1 per cent in the last day.

An average of 2.6 tests per 1000 population were conducted daily over the last seven days, with 1.2 tests per 1000 population in the last day.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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