SUVA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Ministry of Health is ramping up quarantine measures due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Pacific region.
According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), Fiji's Health Ministry Permanent Secretary James Fong said Friday that they are expecting some high-risk repatriation flights in the next few weeks and they need to be prepared.
"We are taking preventative measures to ensure the quarantine protocols will be adhered to at all times. In the long run, what we are trying to look at is trying to make sure that we can get a more sustainable service delivery model with regards to quarantine."
Fong confirmed four border quarantine cases remain in isolation while more than 200 Fijians are at various quarantine facilities.
Fiji reported its first death from COVID-19 infection on July 31.
The 66-year-old Fijian man, who had a history of cardiac problems and returned from India early July, died in the hospital in Lautoka, Fiji's second largest city.
The man was the island nation's first border quarantine case of COVID-19.
Fiji had reported a total of 18 COVID-19 patients since it confirmed its first case on March 19, and all of them have fully recovered before June 5.
Fiji has conducted more than 4,500 COVID-19 tests since January.
Currently, Fiji maintains a nationwide curfew effective from March 30 this year. Enditem
