COVID-19

The fight is not over yet: PM

November 29, 2021 2:54 pm

With the emergence of Omicron – the new variant of COVID-19, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama is urging unvaccinated Fijians to come on board.

Bainimarama says while the world’s health experts still do not know what its characteristics are, borders are being closed against countries in the Southern Region of Africa where the variant was first discovered.

Fiji has stepped up its conditions of entry for red list countries and the Prime Minister warns we must remain vigilant and keep our guard up.

Article continues after advertisement

He is reminding all eligible Fijians who have not been vaccinated to make arrangements to get the jab.

“I am concerned that some communities in the Ra to Rewa corridor, which includes pockets of Ra, Tailevu, Naitasiri and parts of Rewa along with a few villages in the Yasawas have very low vaccination rates. For the health and the good of the country, I urge those people to get vaccinated.”

He is urging Fijians to get their children vaccinated as well, because they need to be back in school.

Bainimarama says some countries are preparing to vaccinate children as young as five and Fiji will do the same as soon as possible.

He also says booster shots will soon be made available for those most vulnerable.

In two days our first tourism flight in almost two years will land in Fiji.

Bainimarama says Fiji has reached this point through a careful science-based strategy and by taking decisive steps to prepare for this opportunity.

He plans to be at the Nadi International Airport to welcome the first visitors from Australia.

The Prime Minister highlights that countries like Mauritius and Singapore saw a rise in cases when their borders opened for tourism, mainly because of poor compliance from the local population.

He stresses that we are living with COVID and the only way to have a normal national life is to treat it like a health issue and not a political issue.

“Nothing would please me more than to be able to announce that we were free of this protocol measures for all time, but I can’t. It would be irresponsible. It would be a dangerous lie.”

The Prime Minister is calling for everyone’s engagement in this fight, saying there is too much work to do and too many lives are at stake.