PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare said the situation in Fiji is extremely worrying for our students, parents, and the Government.
Prime Minister Sogavare in his nationwide address early this week said citizens must not take the situation in Fiji lightly as it records more than 1,000 cases daily with recorded deaths.
The Prime Minister said we currently have approximately 850 students both government and privately sponsored in all the training institutions in Fiji.
However, he said just over 50 of them have graduated and can return home.
The rest he said will remain in Fiji.
Prime Minister Sogavare said the virus has also infected 22 of our students and dependents.
“Thirteen have now been declared inactive by the Fiji Ministry of Health whilst nine remain active. All 22 cases are asymptomatic,” he said.
The Prime Minister said our High Commission Office in Suva, the Education Attaché and other Solomon Islanders living in Suva have been supportive of our students whilst in isolation.
Prime Minister Sogavare said the Oversight Committee has also activated discussions and will inform Cabinet on the situation in Fiji.
“Timing of any repatriation flight for graduating students will be determined by our health team and it will occur when it is safe for our country to repatriate the graduating students,” he said.
Prime Minister Sogavare said that given the highly transmissible nature of the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, in Fiji, it is not a good time to undertake any repatriation flight from Fiji to Solomon Islands yet.
“If we import delta variant cases into the country – it can spread very quickly and have a devastating effect on our population,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the Government is very cautious and will consider ways to provide support to our graduating and continuing students in Fiji.
– PM Press Secretariat
