Kiribati in lockdown after recording first Covid case

THE Pacific island nation of Kiribati yesterday went into its first lockdown – with Samoa following suit – after overseas arrivals brought in some of the country’s first ever Covid cases.

Until this month, Kiribati had not reported a single virus case, while Samoa had only recorded two since the pandemic began, according to the World Health Organisation.

But authorities in both countries have been forced to put in place stayat-home orders after the virus was detected in international arrivals.

Dozens of passengers on a flight to Kiribati from Fiji – the first to arrive in the nation since borders reopened – tested positive for the virus.

And in Samoa, the restrictions were triggered after cases linked to a repatriation flight from Brisbane rose to 15, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, the prime minister, said.

The restrictions will lift tomorrow night and all current cases – believed to be infected with the omicron variant – are in quarantine, she added.

Kiribati’s leader said the capital – home to almost half of the country’s 120,000 population – would be placed under the restrictions after recording its first community cases.

“There is an assumption that Covid19 is now spreading in the community,” Taneti Maamau, the president, said in a statement on Facebook.

Under the restrictions, locals must stay home unless in need of essentials like food or healthcare.

It was unclear how long the lockdown would last. Around 62 per cent of Samoa’s population is fully vaccinated, while about 34 per cent of Kiribati’s population is double jabbed.