Repatriation flights and Blue Lane
I HAVE gone on record more than once via the Times, praising the government response, the health services, and other relevant agencies, in the containment of COVID-19 in Fiji. At the moment I see no reason to change this stance.
However, I would not be alone in being concerned about repatriation flights and this Blue Lane initiative. Of course I am not against repatriation, but there is something lacking when a repatriation flight from India arrives in Fiji with 10 per cent of the passengers on board going on to develop full blown COVID-19. Many countries allowing repatriation flights require all passengers to present a properly validated COVID-19 certificate showing that three days before they can board the flight they are COVID-19 free. Was this practised on the flight in question?
If not, it should be. Why was the flight operated by Garuda, an Indonesian airline, and allowed to stop three times before reaching Fiji? Were passengers from other countries on board? Indonesia is a hotbed for the virus. I know there are all sorts of regulations around about which airline can fly where, but surely a case can be made for the use of Fiji Airways aircraft that can fly to and from India non-stop.
In terms of India, the total recorded cases of COVID-19, as of today (yesterday) is 1.75 million, which, as things go, means the real number could be close to 3.5 million. It is clear that great care must be exercised in choosing those for repatriation. The same can be said now for repatriations from Australia, which while having an excellent record in the past, has lost the plot with rapidly, rising infection rates.
Some would accuse me of scaremongering, but does the “average” Fijian (as we are so insultingly referred to by the government minister) know that total cases of COVID-19 worldwide is 18 million, rising by 1 million every three to four days now.
It is a pandemic totally out of control in most of the world, we cannot ever afford to let our guards down and let it get back here.
Repatriations and this Blue Lane initiative are the only ways it can. Government should inform the public weekly on the numbers of repatriations and Blue Lane arrivals, we deserve that.