COVID-19: Fiji capital goes into lockdown after 'superspreader' event at funeral

Fiji’s capital Suva on April 26 entered a 14-day lockdown as the Pacific island nation is battling to contain the coronavirus spike. According to New Zealand Herald, about 100,000 residents of the city have now been asked to stay in containment zones and the officials have closed non-essential businesses. The permanent secretary for health and medical services, James Fong, informed that Fiji has detected 12 new cases as part of a growing outbreak in the country. 

The officials have been able to determine the source of the mystery transmission. They informed that the contact tracers have established that a woman from the Suva neighbourhood of Makoi caught the virus from her husband, who is a soldier. He works in Fiji’s Broder Quarantine facility and had tested negative for the virus on April 10. 

Fong said that the soldier, however, had close contact with another soldier who tested positive and he likely got infected shortly after swabbing. Further, the official said that five other family members have also tested positive for the virus. Fong said that they were in the community for several days and they had a large number of contacts and moved around extensively. 

Suva lockdown rules 

Fong added that the maintenance of the containment areas will help the officials to trace all their contacts more effectively and quickly. He informed that their potential window of transmission extends for almost a fortnight from April 12-25. Fong said that the ministry had not yet been able to “pin down the movements” of the people and identify all the contacts, therefore, the government is forced to take strict precautionary measures. 

According to reports, now, people can leave their homes and access essential services and supermarkets. They are urged to avoid large social gatherings and stay indoors, however, the government has not made it mandatory for people to stay indoors. Fong said that the interactions should be limited entirely to those already living in the household. He added that if one needs to walk around or exercise, one must do so but also wear masks and maintain social distance when they leave the house. 

Meanwhile, the emergence of community transmission is a blow for Fiji's hopes of opening quarantine-free travel bubbles with Australia and New Zealand. The island nation's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which has been affected during the pandemic. According to ABC News, monthly visitor numbers were down about 99 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. 

(Image: Pixabay)