Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong says they will be strengthening measures regarding inter-island travel and shipping.

With the recent surge in COVID positive cases in the Northern Division, the Permanent Secretary for Health says they will be strengthening measures regarding inter-island travel and shipping.

Doctor James Fong is responding to calls from the general public to suspend maritime travel, which is believed to be one of the main modes of transmission of the virus.

He says suspending or banning inter-island travel is not an option as the inflow of COVID positive cases was expected, given Vanua Levu was spared during the 2nd wave.

“People are now yelling about, “Let’s stop all the boats coming and going!” Too late. The virus is already here and bursting. If I stop the boats from coming and going, the same color of the virus that you see in the Central Division is already here. So, what are we stopping?”

The Permanent Secretary says now more than ever, the most important thing will be the individual COVID safe measures we can take.

Dr Fong says all the measures they will be undertaking will be to ensure that the virus is suppressed.