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Suva, Fiji, June 4, 2021
Fiji’s Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama has ruled out the declaration of a state of Emergency despite the growing incidence of Covid-19 cases in the country.
Fiji is now coping with more than 300 active cases, including 35 new cases reported last night (June 3, 2021). Of these, 14 were linked to the country’s main hospital in Suva.
Opposition calls for Emergency
The Opposition and civil society groups have called on the government to consider declaring a state of Emergency.
Opposition MP from the Social Democratic Liberal (SODELPA) Party Mitieli Bulanauca said that it was important that village heads and district representatives were informed about the symptoms of Covid-19.
He said that the government should ensure that the relevant information on the virus was being made available to those in the remote areas and outer islands.
But Mr Bainimarama told Parliament that it was not necessary.
Health Ministry to decide
He said that it is within the scope of the Ministry of Health to decide whether it was necessary to take that option, and it had not expressed the need.
Mr Bainimarama said that health officials are working with district representatives in all the provinces, to ensure that Covid-19 health restrictions are followed. He said that 44 isolation communities had been set up within the four divisions across the country.
All travel to Viti Levu has been shut down, except to those granted an exemption permit, to try to stop the spread of the virus.
To relieve demand for quarantine spaces, some people have been shifted to facilities in Nadi to finish their quarantine after returning an initial two tests.
And curfew and border passes have been extended until June 14. 2021.
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