TWO Hundred and eighty-eight of our nationals in Fiji are expected to be repatriated as of today.
These are mainly graduating Solomon Islands students from the Fiji universities.
Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Jimmie Rodgers during this week’s radio tack-back said upon their arrival they will be serving their mandatory quarantine period before they can be released to reunite with their families.
“We are expecting about 288 new people coming in from Fiji, after that we will not be doing any major repatriation until the 9th of January which is the third and last flight from Fiji to bring the remaining nationals in Fiji.
“On the 11th of January 2021, a final and third repatriation flight for Manila will be arriving in the country. And that concludes our major repatriation,” he said.
Dr. Rodgers said one repatriation flight has been scheduled for 17th January but that will be confirmed later, while the final repatriation flight is planned for February 7, 2021, and this is a high-risk repatriation flight.
He said, “When these flights arrive in the country most of our Institutional quarantine Facilities (IQF) should be emptied.”
Dr. Rodgers said there a number of charter flights planned and these flights will bring people from outside who would be involved in some of the major projects, thus the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) has already discussed this with Solomon Airlines.
“With this, a charter flight is scheduled for 24th of January 2021 and this is a major development that the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) will welcome into the country so as soon as that one comes in they are looking at in the high thousands of houses. This company that will come on that charter flight is looking at building 2000 to 5000 houses.
He said there are also probably other charter flights that will also come into the country which will be confirmed later.
“The reason why they come in later we want to make sure that all our nationals at the quarantine sites graduated from the stations so all IQF will be available to accommodate all who will be repatriated later,” he said.
By FOLLET JOHN
Newsroom, Honiara
