A good number of residents along the Sigatoka Valley are in a state of shock after few confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified in the area.

Turaga ni Koro of Mavua Village in Nadroga, Ilikimi Julalevu says few residents of Nabitu and Bilalevu along the Sigatoka Valley were tested positive last week and have been taken to various isolation facilities.

He adds this was bound to happen given the gravity of widespread transmission across Viti Levu.

However he states that the emergence of cases will not dampen their community spirit to strengthen community lockdown measures and restricting visitors from entering the village.

Mavua Village is surrounded by these red zone areas of Nabitu and Bilalevu, and Julalevu says the risk of community transmission is high.

He adds villagers are once again on high alert and have doubled their surveillance to ensure their boundaries are protected from this killer virus.

As part of its amended community lockdown measures, a household member is only allowed to travel to town to buy essential items, movements only limited from home to the farm and return and villagers must remain indoors at all times among others.

Sigatoka was classified as a non-containment zone for about three months during this second wave, before COVID cases were identified in the area over the past few days.

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