Local News
PM warns of 24-hour curfew
PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has warned of a 24-hour countrywide curfew as he condemned the level of lawlessness refl ected in the spike in the number of people arrested for breaches on Friday. On Friday...
COVID-19: Villagers chased by police for catching fish during curfew
Villagers along the Savusavu Coast have expressed their disappointment after they were chased by police officers while catching fish for their families last night. Villagers who preferred anonymity claimed police officers were patrolling the coast in a boat, chasing people despite the directive by the Ministry of Fisheries that people could fish during curfew hours....
COVID-19: No new cases in the last 24-hours
Fiji has recorded no new case of COVID-19 in the last 24-hours. In a statement, Government said it would advise Fijians should this change. “There were no new cases of COVID-19 as at Sunday 5 April,” the statement said.
COVID-19: Jades, Supercuts staff and customers advised to call helpline
Fijians who were at Jades Hair Salon in MHCC and Supercuts at Damodar City Level 2 in Suva on March 23, 25 or 30 and April 1 have been urged to urgently contact the Health Ministry. In a statement issued this afternoon, the ministry stated that they would like to hear from all these customers...
COVID-19: Labasa Hospital outpatient services diverted to Nasea Health Center
All outpatient services at the Labasa Hospital will be diverted to the Nasea Health Center from tomorrow. Confirming this, the Health Ministry said the Labasa Hospital would now be used to isolate all patients confirmed with COVID-19. The ministry has advised the public in the greater Labasa area to refer to Nasea Health Centre for...
COVID-19: Police officers spend Palm Sunday guarding lockdown areas
Hundreds of policemen and women are spending Palm Sunday guarding borders of the three confined areas in Lautoka, Suva and Labasa presently on lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This morning, Force Chaplain, Superintendent of Police (SP) Reverend Waisale Tikowale visited officers manning the checkpoints at the borders of the Suva lockdown areas, relaying the...
COVID-19: WHO, UNICEF set-up Solidarity Response Fund
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have announced an agreement to work together on COVID-19 response, through the historic COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund powered by the United Nations Foundation and Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund has been set up to facilitate an unprecedented global response by supporting the World Health Organization’s (WHO)...
Fiji Airways flies 39,207kilograms of cargo to Sydney
Fiji Airways has flown a freighter flight to Sydney this morning. It is carrying 39,207kilograms of cargo that includes fresh vegetables and 48kg of mail, according to a Fiji Airways post on social media. An airline statement last week stated that on its return flight, the plane will be bringing 11.1tonnes of medical equipment to...
Fiji Airways operate charted flight for LDS missionaries
Fiji Airways has flown a charter flight from Nadi to Salt Lake City in the US. The plane was hired by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Missionaries serving in the South Pacific were on the flight to Salt Lake City. These missionaries had flown in from Tonga, Kiribati and Marshal Islands to...
Christians celebrate Palm Sunday at home
Thousands of Christians across the country are celebrating Palm Sunday in their own homes today because of the ban in place on all mass gatherings, including religious activities. Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. According to biblical teachings, palm branches are considered symbols of victory and triumph.
COVID-19: Police arrest more than 100 for breaching curfew
MORE than 100 people were arrested for breaching the nationwide curfew hours last night, while another 24 were arrested for breaching the ban on social gatherings. For curfew breaches, the Western Division recorded 49 arrests, 25 in the south, 31 in the east, three in the central and two 2 in the Northern Division, bringing...
COVID-19: Police investigate woman for breaching curfew
Police are investigating a woman who took her family on a fiberglass boat to Wakaya Island during the nationwide curfew on Friday night. “Last night (Friday), in violation of curfew and our rules against inter-island passenger travel, we received another report of a mother who took her family on a fibreglass boat and shipped herself...
Harold moves closer, expect more rain
Fiji will start experiencing more rain from next week as Tropical Cyclone Harold moves closer to the group. According to the Nadi Meteorological Service, the Category 4 cyclone was located 160km west-northwest of Vanuatu, moving southeast at about 8km per hour. On its track, TC Harold is expected to track just to the southwest of...
37 fever clinics in Fiji
THERE are now 37 fever clinics opened throughout Fiji. The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has urged members of the public to visit the nearest fever clinic should they develop any symptoms of COVID-19.“ At the fever clinic,Fijians will have their temperatures taken and symptoms checked. “The symptoms of COVID-19 are a dry cough,...
4th April
Option for the jobless
FIJI National Provident Fund (FNPF) members who have been unemployed for the past six months are now eligible to withdraw funds from their accounts. The announcement was made by Attorney-General and Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum yesterday. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said these workers might have been unemployed for some reasons apart from COVID-19 but they were eligible...
Italy experts say reliable coronavirus antibody test may be ready soon
ROME (Reuters) – A reliable antibody blood test to find out who has already had the coronavirus would give a better picture of the extent of Italy’s epidemic and could possibly be identified within days, scientific advisers to the government said on Friday. More than 115,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Italy...
Workers express frustration over requirements
HOSPITALITY workers living in Korolevu, Sigatoka, are frustrated with the processes they have to follow when applying for COVID-19 Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) assistance. The workers said it was important authorities understood they were not applying for a government grant. Joseva Mei, a hotel employee, said the application process was similar to the requirements...
Sixteen Fijians among hundreds removed from mosque in India
SIXTEEN Fijian nationals — three from Rakiraki and 13 from Labasa — were among hundreds who were removed from a mosque in New Delhi and are now kept in isolation. Police had to close the Nizamuddin mosque after at least six regions reported COVID-19 cases that could be directly traced to the days-long congregation at...
PM hails medics
“STAY at home, respect the sacrifices of ourhealthcare heroes and help them save lives.” That’s the plea from Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama as he publicly commended Fijian health and essential services workers on the frontline in the war against COVID-19. In a message yesterday, Mr Bainimarama hailed health workers our “heroes”. “In Fiji, our ‘heroes’...
IMF, WHO urge leaders to focus on health spending to get virus under control
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The IMF and the World Health Organization on Friday urged leaders of developing countries to prioritize paying medical staff, buying protective gear and other health expenditures in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a joint column in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, the heads of the two institutions said getting the new...
Contact tracing teams monitor Fijians
THE Ministry of Health says contact tracing teams are monitoring Fijians who had been in contact with the recently confirmed COVID-19 cases and a third individual who travelled on flight FJ360 on March 22. The Health Ministry said the third individual was identified as a person of interest for having a travel history to India...
TC Harold forecasted to intensify further
The Fiji Meteorological Service will continue to monitor Tropical Cyclone Harold as it is forecasted to become a Category 3 system when it approaches Vanuatu by tomorrow. Yesterday, TC Harold had intensified to a Category 2 system, with winds of up to 160kph, as it made its way between Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. “For today,...
EU to fly home another 250,000 nationals stranded by coronavirus
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – More than 250,000 European Union citizens are still trying to get home, as the number of people stranded by the coronavirus outbreak remains high even after the EU has repatriated some 350,000 people, its top diplomat said on Friday. While the repatriation of EU nationals since mid-March was moving swiftly, the number...
COVID-19: Police erect checkpoints in Soasoa, Labasa
Police have begun erecting checkpoints in Soasoa, Labasa, this past hour. No one is allowed access into an area that is under lockdown. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama had announced a lockdown of the Soasoa area with effective from this afternoon, after he confirmed a 54-year-old man with travel history to India had tested positive in the area....
COVID-19: Fiji’s five latest confirmed cases
Our case number eight is a 39-year-old female of Natokowaqa in Lautoka. She is a close contact of our case number five. She developed symptoms on March 31 and had presented to the Lautoka Hospital and has since been in isolation. She is in a stable condition and under the care of the health team....
COVID-19: Father of seventh case could have spread virus via land, sea and air – PM
The father of the seventh confirmed case of COVID-19 is suspected to have contracted the virus during a religious gathering in India. This has been confirmed by Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama during a press conference in Suva this afternoon. He said they had a strong suspicion of how the seventh and sixth case contracted...
COVID-19: PM commends Nadi woman
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has commended the 20-year-old woman from Nadi who had tested positive to COVID-19. The woman is the first in Nadi to test positive to the virus. Mr Bainimarama said her case was not related to any of the cases recorded earlier. He said the patient had immediately entered into self-quarantine after...
COVID-19: Sister of fifth case tests positive
The 39-year-old sister of Fiji’s fifth confirmed case of COVID-19 has tested positive for the virus. Fiji’s fifth case is a woman who shared a hug with the 27-year-old flight attendant who was the first to contract the virus in Fiji. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said she developed symptoms after she was placed in quarantine....
COVID-19: Lautoka residents urged to support health workers
Residents of Lautoka have been urged to be honest and support health workers who have been engaged in surveying each household within the contained area. Ministry of Health and Medical Services’ Dr Jemesa Tudravu says the weather had posed a challenge for the officials as they continue to carry out their surveys which began on...
COVID-19: Health Minister disappointed
“As the Minister of Health, I am disappointed with everyone who breaks the self-isolation quarantine.” This was highlighted by Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, who said, this trend was worrying. “Not only do they put everyone at risk, but also the medical and health workers,” he said during a press conference this afternoon.
