Businesses are calling on people to shop in their areas to stop the further spread of COVID-19 in the Suva Nausori containment area.

Suva Retailers Association President, Jitesh Patel says this will be more convenient and it will help authorities such as the Ministry of Health with their contact tracing efforts.

Patel says minimizing movement into the city is crucial to containing the virus.

“Don’t have to come to the city in the buses and all those things. Look for your nearest supermarket in your area and shop there, make it easy for everyone. That’s one way we can stop the spread of the virus from going everywhere.”

He adds everyone needs to play their part.

“Let’s just take this thing seriously. Stay home, mask up and listen to the authorities. That’s the most important thing”.

Businesses in Suva have been struggling financially to keep up with their expenses as they’ve remained closed for almost a month now.