Pacific countries, already hard hit by epidemics, take extreme coronavirus measures
It has been reported today, Wednesday, by Radio New Zealand that several Pacific countries have taken heavy-handed measures in an effort to stop a new and largely unknown coronavirus from taking hold in a region already strained by several severe epidemics.
“While authorities and the World Health Organisation maintain the risk of an outbreak in the Pacific is low, little is being left to chance in countries that have battled some of the largest outbreaks of either measles, dengue fever, influenza or polio seen in generations.
“That's especially the case in measles-devastated Samoa, where some of the strictest quarantine measures were imposed in the wake of an emergency Cabinet meeting on Friday.
“In the emergency measures introduced on Friday, anyone travelling to Samoa - including from New Zealand - is required to undergo medical clearance at least three days before heading to the country.
“It also imposed rules that compel anyone who has been in - or transited through - China to "self-quarantine" in a country free from the coronavirus for at least 14 days. The Faleolo Hospital, across the road from the main airport, had been set aside as a quarantine centre, with two Samoan sailors held in isolation there, although the government said they did not have the coronavirus.
“Already, six Chinese nationals have been caught out by the new rules. On Sunday night, they were returned to Nadi from Samoa aboard a Fiji Airways flight for not meeting the self-quarantine requirements.
“Papua New Guinea late on Tuesday announced it would ban travellers from "Asian countries", with the health department conceding that it would struggle to cope if there was a local outbreak of the coronavirus. It also said citizens and residents returning from "Asian countries" would be quarantined for two weeks, and the land border with Indonesia would also be closed.
“The notice from the immigration minister, Westly Nukundj, did not specify which countries were included in the ban, or how it would be enforced.
“In the Marshall Islands, where authorities are in their sixth month of battling a dengue fever epidemic that continues to worsen, the country's health secretary, Jack Niedenthal, said the border had effectively been sealed.
“In Palau, the government said it would suspend charter flights from China, Macau and Hong Kong at least until the end of February, and government workers were also restricted from travelling. Vanuatu was considering similar measures, while the Cook Islands Cabinet was weighing up whether to turn back travellers who had been in China.
“All inbound travellers to Tonga were now required to fill out a health check form, and Fiji had stepped up airport monitoring.
“In French Polynesia, the government said it would stop issuing work and residence permits to Chinese citizens. As of Wednesday (NZT), anyone arriving from Asia via Japan or New Zealand is required to show a medical certificate that's less than 15 days old.
“In a statement, the World Health Organisation said it was working closely with Pacific governments to strengthen their capacity to detect and respond to cases.
"Several Pacific countries have instituted measures at international points of entry to try to mitigate the risk of the virus being imported," a spokesperson said. "In the Pacific, where there are limited air and sea points of entry, this may be an effective measure to mitigate the risk of the diseased being imported.
"However, WHO strongly recommends that countries conduct their own risk assessments and consider public health, social and economic implications of these restrictions before they are applied," it said.
“In New Zealand, authorities maintain that the risk of a coronavirus outbreak remains low, although limited screening began on Monday and the government is urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China.”
Source: Radio New Zealand.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
