The Government late this afternoon has enforced a sixty hours lockdown for the Honiara Emergency Zone effective 6pm on Wednesday 19 to 6am Saturday 22.
The Honiara Emergency Zone boundary is from Alligator Creek in the East to Poha River in the west end of Honiara city.
The lockdown effectively restricts movement of people during the period. It orders that a “person must not enter or leave the emergency zone during the lockdown period. It further orders that a person must be at his or her residence during the lockdown time.
Only those that are exempted to travel during the lockdown period are essential services workers who are covered under the Essential Services Act (Cap. 12).
The lockdown is important for health authorities to continue contact tracing of people who travelled on MV Awka’s from Ontong Java on January 10 after a passenger on that trip was tested positive for COVID 19. ‘
Other measures that are effective during this period include the temporary suspension of domestic flights to and from Honiara.
The order also suspends all incoming passenger service from international flights, except for humanitarian cargo flights.
Under the orders, humanitarian cargo services will continue. Other cargo services will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Overseas Cargo vessels, Fuel and Gas tankers will continue to operate as Solomon Islands depend on these vessels for survival.
-GCU Press