Fiji reintroduces more stringent COVID-19 safety measures amid surging cases

Suva [Fiji], July 1 (ANI/Xinhua): Fiji on Friday reintroduced more stringent COVID-19 safety measures as the island nation has reported more COVID-19 cases recently.
All hospitals across Fiji have been notified to reintroduce more stringent safety measures for coronavirus while other workplaces have also been urged to more actively promote COVID-19 safety measures, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) reported on Friday.
Fiji's Permanent Secretary for the Health James Fong said that hospitals in the country will now start restricting visitors, with more strict enforcement of masking and hand sanitization practices, and strengthening screening protocols.
Fiji's Ministry of Health is also calling on workplaces, advising that COVID-19 safety measures be more actively promoted and enforced by management, he added.
Fong confirmed that the ministry has noted an increase in cases admitted that are positive for COVID-19, with more cases reported from workplaces in the country.
According to Fong, Fiji has recorded 158 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday and of the new cases, 67 were reported in the central part of the country, 53 in the western part, 21 in the northern part and 17 in the eastern part.
He also confirmed that an 89-year-old unvaccinated woman with co-morbidities died from COVID-19 earlier this week.
Fiji, a South Pacific island nation with a population of around 900,000, has recorded more than 65,000 COVID-19 cases, with 866 COVID-19-related deaths since March 2020 when it recorded its first confirmed COVID-19 case. (ANI/Xinhua)