Cargo ships sailing into Fiji’s ports pose no COVID-19 risk to Fijians.[Source: Fiji Ports]

Cargo ships sailing into Fiji’s ports pose no COVID-19 risk to Fijians.

That’s the assurance from Health Minister Dr. Ifereimi Waqainabete who confirms no crew members from these vessels are allowed on land but those who need to disembark will serve a 14-day quarantine period.

Dr. Waqainabete says all cargo ships must undergo necessary quarantine checks and only after receiving approval from the Health Ministry are allowed to offload containers.

“They are first of all assessed, we move closer to the system to assess if anyone is unwell or not, they are not allowed to actually get onto the land so they remain on the ships. If there is an instance where someone needs to come ashore they need to serve 14 days quarantine plus test as procedures if they are. So there is no risk to the communities at large.”

Some of these shipments come from countries affected by COVID-19, however, Dr. Waqainabete assures they are all safe.

“These are all containerized ships there is no handling that happens, these are all containerized ships they put on the ship by container, and they come off the ships by container so there is no risk.”

The Public Health Act has been revised to allow the Health Ministry powers to approve all freight before unloading.