CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
REPUBLIC
OF NAURU
Government
Information Office
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
by
His
Excellency President Lionel Aingimea
Thursday,
7 May 2020
Nauru remains coronavirus-free and
while the government's capture & contain strategy is proving
effective, President Lionel Aingimea says we still need to work
together and follow the advice of medical professionals, police and
security.
The health department is conducting
in-house workshops for nurses and doctors while Nauru Emergency
Services, Nauru Police and other ministries are working together on
multi-stakeholder strategic planning, in readiness of a confirmed
case of coronavirus on Nauru.
There has been a breakthrough in
medical referrals with Australia granting special travel exemption
for Nauruans who require urgent critical medical care to enter
Australia for treatment.
President Aingimea thanks the
Government of Australia for this positive news, highlighting that
although Australia still does not allow non-citizens entry during
this time of coronavirus, it has exempted Nauruans under special
medical circumstances.
The Ministry of Health will go through
the usual procedure of securing doctors and other medical staff and
a hospital for the medical treatments; and as Nauru still has no
cases of coronavirus the health ministry and the Nauru Coronavirus
Taskforce are seeking advice from the Queensland government in
regards to the necessity of the two weeks quarantine for the
patients on arrival into Brisbane.
Nauru maintains air and sea travel
ensuring relatively normal activity and supplies for the island.
The next Brisbane flight is due in next week Friday 15 May, and its
passengers will go into two weeks quarantine with another fisheries
observer who is scheduled to come ashore at the same
time.
A second raft by port contractors,
CHEC, is due this weekend to bring in materials and equipment
required for the port development, while a shipment of heavy
machinery for Nauru Rehabilitation Corporation is due in at the end
of May.
The fuel and cargo ships are due 15
and 20 May respectively, while a phosphate ship is scheduled for
June.
As a reminder, all arriving crew by
sea either spend 14 days isolation at sea and then a rapid test
taken to test for coronavirus; or a lab test is conducted. Lab
testing on island may be available as early as the next shipment's
arrival.
Nauru's High Commission in Fiji is
still in discussions with the Fiji Department of Foreign Affairs on
the subject of repatriating Nauru students from Fiji.
President Aingimea says Fiji DFAT has
taken up the matter with Prime Minister Bainimarama who is however
currently visiting Fiji's outer islands. Nauru will pursue the
request upon his return to the capital Suva.
Of note is that the overall
coronavirus landscape in Fiji has changed from what it was two
months ago. The Suva lockdown was lifted, schools will resume on 16
June, the country is recovering from coronavirus and the Fiji
government is considering re-opening its borders and if this does
happen before the Fiji PM returns to Suva, then Nauru's request for
repatriation may be voided, President Aingimea said.
Since the start of the coronavirus
pandemic Nauru has received support from numerous donors and
partners in the form of financial assistance, equipment and
supplies.
The latest assistance comes from
Australia with $4 million to be signed in agreement tomorrow; India
confirmed US$1 million which will be filtered through the UN
agencies; Japan offered medical equipment worth AU$1.5 million; and
Taiwan will give AU$1.65 million in direct budget support for COVID
measures.
So far, the Nauru Government has spent
AU$2.2 million: $1.4M (65%) on clinical and medical supplies;
$570,000 (26%) on quarantine needs; and almost $200,000 on other
items (8% on repatriation, 1% on Taskforce work).
President Aingimea says there are
still residents staying at the Meneñ Hotel quarantine facility and
any support that the public can offer to the residents, is
welcomed.
The President reminds the public that
the fight against coronavirus is ongoing and "we still have to be
on high alert."
ENDS///
Issued by:
Nauru
Government Information Office, Republic of NAURU
Ph: +(674)
557 3009 E: gio.nauru@gmail.com /
naurugovinfo@gmail.com /
www.naurugov.nr