Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says they are undertaking all necessary preparations to ensure that Fiji is ready to aggressively identify, treat, investigate and contain the coronavirus.
Bainimarama says as of yesterday there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Fiji however, medical experts have revealed the disease can go undetected until symptoms appear, as has been seen in the United States and elsewhere, it is virtually impossible to contain a virus across international borders.
The Prime Minister says they are anticipating and actively preparing for a case of the coronavirus in the country.
Bainimarama says the situation is rapidly developing with new cases in Australia, the USA, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
He says this outbreak is global in scale and Fiji is not immune to risk.
The Ministry of Health has been working directly with the World Health Organisation to implement appropriate, precautionary measures to protect the Fijian people.
Bainimarama says the Fijian public can take comfort knowing that, from last week, enhanced monitoring has been instituted at Nadi International Airport. All passengers travelling from Hong Kong and Singapore have been met by health officers who have reviewed their health declarations and determined if they have recently travelled to the Hubei Province.
He says they are working closely with Fiji Airways, to identify all at-risk travellers checking in at overseas ports and these travellers will be required to undergo thermal screening prior to boarding.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports the number of people killed in China by the new coronavirus has risen to 81, with almost 3,000 confirmed ill.
The national new year holiday has been extended by three days to Sunday, in an attempt to contain the spread.
The number of deaths in Hubei rose from 56 to 76, with five deaths elsewhere. Wuhan is in lockdown and several other cities have imposed travel bans.
At least 44 cases have been confirmed abroad, including in Thailand, the United States, and Australia.
There have been no deaths outside China.
