The Makoi case has been classified as a local transmission.

Fiji has recorded 12 new cases of COVID-19, all classified as local transmissions.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong, says the first case is a soldier working at the border quarantine facility and was the roommate of case 73- another soldier who had earlier tested positive after having come into close contact with travelers from India.

The new case does not pose a risk of transmission to the public as he has been in the government quarantine facility since April 18th.

Dr Fong says four of the new cases are the contacts of the hotel maid.

“Four tested negative when they entered quarantine but now have tested positive. This also indicated that they were not infectious while in the community”.

He adds the other seven cases are all close household contacts of the Makoi woman announced on Sunday.

Dr Fong says that there is no new cluster, as they have found the origin of the infection of the 29-year-old woman from Makoi.

“The lady from Makoi caught the virus from her husband establishing this link between the Makoi case all the way to case 73, means that this Makoi case will be reclassified as local transmission and not community transmission”.

Dr Fong says the initial investigation indicated that the family made a large number of contacts in the community.

The Permanent Secretary says there are 36 active cases in isolation of which 14 are border quarantine cases and 22 are locally transmitted cases.