Planning is underway on the possibility of a full lockdown of Viti Levu based on the worrying rise of clusters and cases.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong says his been working with his fellow permanent secretaries, as well as the private sector, on scenario-planning based on the results of their continuous testing

He says the 12 new cases is another cluster that began with a case of unknown origin.

The PS says while they are still investigating the origin of these cases, home is the safest place to be.

Dr Fong stresses the goal of the lockdown is to stop all unnecessary movement and mixing between people.

“Informal gatherings and other high-risk activities will carry significant penalties. Essential movement will be highly-controlled. Businesses and the private sector must take on a much higher level of responsibility if they expect to operate at all”.

He assured the public that if they take the lockdown route, there will be enough notice to allow Fijians to prepare and for government to allocate resources appropriately.