The Roko Tui Yasawa Nemani Tarotaro has taken COVID-19 protocols up a notch by advising all village headmen to enforce lockdowns in their respective villages.

It comes as cases of COVID-19 were reported in Somosomo Village, Nasoqo Settlement, Kese Village and Muara Village. The villages are all on Naviti Island.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has not ruled out the possibility of a high-risk community transmission there.

It has prompted the Provincial Administration Office based at Lautoka to enforce strict measures to avoid widespread infections there.

Roko Tui Yasawa Nemani Tarotaro said all villagers must stay within their village precincts and no one is allowed to travel into another village.

“They are only allowed to gather their food and fish,” he said.

“All identified cases have been in home isolation, and we encourage village heads to monitor the situation with health personnel on the island.”

Mr Tarotaro said a team from the Health Ministry and other Government departments would visit the islands on Sunday to help medical teams.

Permanent Secretary for Health Dr James Fong said Gunu Village, also on Naviti, has been identified as high risk and contact tracing and testing for contacts and symptomatic cases have begun.

“The tests will need to be run at Lautoka Hospital to confirm the number of cases of COVID-19 in the village,” he said.

“There has been a severe case evacuated from Somosomo Village.”

A whole-of-Government community engagement and response team will visit the villages.

Meanwhile, the Fiji Police Force has acquired boats and other equipment to enhance monitoring of unwarranted travel into the maritime islands.

This was after it was found that this led to island transmission on Malolo Island and Kadavu were detected.

Commissioner of Police Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho said they were going through the process with LTA (Land Transport Authority) so that his officers can assist the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

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