NZ can learn from Fiji how to stay free from COVID-19 community transmission

As New Zealand grapples with a new outbreak of positive COVID-19 cases in the community, Fiji continues to enjoy near a year of no community transmitted cases.

This incredible run is attributed to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama’s decisive leadership in implementing restrictions and measures to keep us safe. The lockdown, curfew and other restrictions, though they felt too extreme and unnecessary for some people, proved to be the right decisions.

That is why we are having no community transmission.

Yet, there seems to be an increasing chorus of protests against the curfew which is still being enforced and breached at the same time.

People should not forget that the COVID-19 threat has not gone. It is still there. The cases at the border are examples and we are fortunate they did not spread to the community.

We need to look at what has happened in New Zealand to understand the seriousness of the situation we are facing.

Auckland is on alert level three lockdown while the rest of New Zealand are on level two. The newest case was a family member of a student from Papatoetoe High School. The student had tested negative three times before with no known symptoms. Therefore, there is no link to the current cluster. The infected person should have been in self isolation but did not and visited a number of places possibly infecting people there.

Ms Arden has been criticized for the outbreak and for not taking tougher measures earlier on. She seems vague on questions whether those who violate the rules should be taken to task.

She should learn from her Fijian counterpart.

It’s a grim reminder for all of us that we cannot be complacent.