THE Oversight Committee is implementing a new measure to deal with incoming passengers entering the country.
This step up is to protect the country against the surge of COVID-19 variants – Delta and Omicron – in neighbouring countries.
Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Jimmie Rodgers said the requirement is very important to shield off the country from importing more COVID-19 cases into the country.
He said the new requirement is the introduction of Antigen COVID-19 testing and home quarantine for anyone who wanted to come into the country.
“We will define the number of days but home quarantine will be mandatory.
“We will also introduce rapid Antigen COVID-19 testing at the airport before passengers come.
“So passengers must test negative before they board the flight, if they test positive they will not come,” Dr Rodgers said.
He added they will also do qPCR testing 72 hours before passengers board a flight.
“…but within two to three hours before boarding they must do rapid Antigen COVID-19 testing at the airport before passengers check in.
“So, in Brisbane for instance Solomon Airlines is also aware before passengers check in that they must do the rapid Antigen COVID-19 testing.
“If they are negative they will check in, if they are positive they will not check in, that is the new requirement,” Dr Rodgers said.
He said this is the most effective way.
“I think in terms of making sure that people that come on our flight are negative that is the most effective way we can do, it doesn’t guaranteed that they do not have COVID-19 but it gives us very good sense of comfort that most likely they do not have COVID, so that’s the new requirement to institute as of now,” he said.
In meantime, Oversight Committee is calling on all citizens to get vaccinated because the country already has the two dangerous variants of COVID-19-the Delta and Omicron variants.
By LACHLAN EDDIE
Newsroom, Honiara
