The Ministry of Health says future lockdowns if needed will be targeted.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong says the lockdown area will be defined as narrowly as possible.

Dr Fong says they will try to permit the widest range of movement and economic activity possible.

He adds this will be done in bubbles to mitigate widespread transmission of the virus.

“We want essential services to continue, and we want as many people as possible to go to their jobs and open their businesses. We cannot expect our economy to recover if we shut entire industries for weeks on end. Some of those jobs, particularly in manufacturing may never come back.”

The Ministry is urging Fijians to operate and stay in their bubbles.

Dr Fong says Fiji is dealing with a highly transmissible variant and several unknown chains of transmission.

The movement across Viti Levu is currently restricted for essential purposes only.

“If the virus stays within one person, and that person does not mix with other people, the virus eventually dies, because it has no new hosts to infect. Our next steps are being informed by the best available science.”

The PS says their decisions are based on data gathered from contact tracing and testing, with advice from other ministries and experts from the World Health Organization.