Stop the misinformation, Ms Tabuya!
The Australian Defence Force has once again come to assist Fiji in its rebuilding efforts. Yet we have the same politicians who were worried about the trade winds carrying coronavirus to villages next to Navua Hospital pushing their conspiracy theories out. It would have been laughable if circumstance were different. Right now, it is plain annoying and bordering on sheer stupidity.
Fiji has done very well in containing the coronavirus. It has been months since Fiji has had any case outside of the quarantine or isolation facility. In fact, it has been exactly 256 days today since we have had a case identified outside of our quarantine facility. And these cases were mostly in self-isolation.
As of today, we have zero active cases. But given that we are still receiving repatriation flights, there is always the chance of a positive case coming in through these flights, as has been the case in the past. However, all these cases would be identified during their stay in the Government-paid quarantine facilities. Doctor Alisha Sahu Khan led the charge and the Health and Medical Services team, led by Permanent Secretary Doctor James Fong, has made sure that Fijians are informed at every step of the way.
So, what does this have to do with Opposition Whip Lynda Tabuya’s Facebook post about the Australian Defence Force?
Frankly, her post, questioning the Fijian medical experts who have done well in containing this virus, is rather insulting to all the hardworking Fijians on the field right now.
She assumed that personnel on board the HMAS Adelaide would not adhere to quarantine procedures. If insulting Fijians was not enough, Ms Tabuya thought she may as well insult those who are coming in to assist.
This is the procedure:
“To allow Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to safely assist with the TC Yasa support, Fiji has reinforced its COVID-19 border quarantine protocols through carefully-supervised quarantine corridors. The development of these quarantine corridors has been based on the Ministry of Health’s protocols for maritime quarantine, quarantine for tourism initiatives, and quarantine and training practises for the Fiji Airways Academy. “Immediately prior to departure, all embarked forces and crew on board the HMAS Adelaide tested negative for COVID-19. The HMAS Adelaide is fully equipped with COVID-19 testing and laboratory equipment. After six days at sea, the disembarking force will be tested again for COVID-19. All other crew and embarked forces will remain on-board the vessel and be tested on day 12 while in Fijian waters. “While on-site, the disembarked force will operate within a predefined, multi-layered “ADF Bubble” under strict surveillance from RFMF and Ministry of Health and Medical Services personnel to prevent any community exposure. All ADF crew and embarked forces will be restricted to this adjusted quarantine environment while their urgent work takes place. The risk of transmission inside the bubble from day 6 to day 14 is extremely low as the forces will not have any public interaction and will be closely monitored inside the bubble by officials.
“RFMF personnel will also operate within the ADF Bubble, and these individuals will all undergo a full 14 days of quarantine before re-engaging with the public.
“Fiji has temporarily restricted the number of repatriation flights to ensure sufficient RFMF and medical personnel are available to maintain the ADF bubble during the crew’s time in Fiji. Once the ADF’s work is complete and they depart, all facilities they have constructed will be thoroughly cleaned prior to public use.”