COVID HOTSPOTS CLOSELY MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE LOCKDOWN
Health Authorities are closely monitoring covid hotspots in Honiara city and are likely to enforce localized lockdowns once community transmission continues to increase.
This measure becomes necessary to allow health workers to complete contact tracing and testing of infected residents in hotspot areas.
So far 25 locations within Honiara city have been identified as hotspots at risk of further community transmission.
These locations include Abira, Borderline, Burns Creek, Fijian Quarter, Point Cruz, Gilbert Camp, Ranadi, Jackson Ridge, Lau Valley, Lord Howe Settlement, Mamulele, Mbaranaba, Mbokona, Mbokonavera/ Mbokonavera 3, Mbua Valley, Naha Heights / Naha 3, Ngossi, Rove, Sisiga, Talise, Tasahe/ Tasahe B, Vura/Vura 3, West Kola, White River and Zion.
Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said on Saturday the hotspots will be continually reviewed and if necessary, certain hotspots will undergo lockdown to limit the spread of the virus and to allow the health team to complete their contact tracing and testing of affected people.
The Lord Howe Settlement in Central Honiara is currently under a localized lockdown. It is a no-go zone for the public. Other hot spots will undergo lockdown as the justification arises.
Meanwhile, the Government has ordered the suspension passenger services by air and sea from Honiara to provinces to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 to provinces. Cargo vessels are also suspended and will be reviewed early next week.
People from provinces are advised to delay their travel to Honiara at this point in time.
“The daily cases of COVID-19 continue to be high. We are now starting to see seriously sick people from COVID-19 and so far, the seriously sick are not vaccinated,” Prime Minister Sogavare warned.
Sogavare reiterate the importance of being fully vaccinated saying “the vaccines will protect people from serious disease even if they catch the virus”.
-GCU Press