We have to be absolutely sure before we lift restrictions
The Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, has announced that restrictions in the Lautoka confined area, had been extended to April 7.
This is a wise move because we have to make sure that Lautoka has gotten rid of coronavirus.
While we have flattened the curve with no new confirmed cases, we cannot rush into reopening the confined area border. We have to be wary of asymptomatic cases where carriers do not show symptoms of the virus. They could be carrying on with life as normal without knowing they have the virus.
They can only be confirmed if they are tested. They could potentially infect other people before being diagnosed.
That’s the danger we face and we should leave it to our professionals in the frontline to make the judgment call that we are safe and we should lift the restrictions.
It will be a massive logistical exercise if we test everyone. Only those with flu symptoms and others identified in contact tracing are being tested.
In the United States, which is now the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, more random tests are being carried out publicly. It has put considerable pressure on health and medical professionals, health systems and hospitals.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the US director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says US deaths from coronavirus could reach 200,000 with millions infected as other major cities warned they would soon run out of medical supplies.
In New Zealand, they are calling new outbreaks as clusters where community transmission has suddenly spiked.
Yesterday we recorded two new cases bringing the total number of confirmed cases to seven and no deaths. We have tested more than 300 people. Thanks to our frontline workers and the majority of our population who complied with the restrictions.
Does this mean that we have successfully contained the community transmission of the virus?
Lay people would probably see it that way, especially those who want to return to their normal lives as soon as possible.
But professionals like Dr Waqainabete are cautious, and for a very good reason.
The unseen enemy has caused havoc across the world. And we cannot afford to be complacent.