Nauru’s “Capture & Contain” Strategy continues to keep Nauru free of COVID-19
REPUBLIC OF NAURU
Government Information Office
STATEMENT
by
His Excellency President Lionel
Rouwen Aingimea, MP
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, 23 November 2021
Nauru's "Capture & Contain"
Strategy continues to keep Nauru free of COVID-19
Our maritime border protocols
require several measures for arriving ships, including minimum
quarantine periods at sea and then testing all persons on board
before they are allowed to undertake contact operations on Nauru.
Regardless and where possible, ships operate a no-contact procedure
in Nauru.
The arrival screening procedures
have identified one crew on a landing craft with a weakly positive
COVID test result.
This positive COVID result was
identified late yesterday, Monday 22nd November. The crew member is
well and has had no symptoms.
This vessel has been in quarantine
at sea for the last 2 weeks and there has been no unprotected
contact with anyone on Nauru.
It appears likely that this is a
historical case who was most probably infected a few weeks ago when
two members of that vessel's crew tested positive whilst in Fiji.
The infected crew were taken off the vessel at that time, earlier
this month, and all remaining crew were tested and returned
negative results. They were then cleared by Fiji authorities to
begin their voyage to Nauru.
The landing Craft "Krishnan"
departed Lautoka, Fiji on the 6th November 2021 with a crew of ten
outbound for Nauru. The Krishnan has 98 water tanks on board
destined for the Nauru Community. The vessel spent more than 14
days at sea and without any contact with any other vessel or port,
before approaching our Port in Aiwo, as per our Maritime COVID
procedures.
The Krishnan completed its 14 days
quarantine on Friday and the crew was tested for COVID-19 on Monday
22nd of November.
Late on Monday, we were advised
that one crew member returned a weak positive result.
This crew member and all others
have all remained well and have had no symptoms since leaving
Fiji.
The lab results suggest that this
person was probably infected earlier in November and is no longer
contagious. The crew member is also fully vaccinated which may also
explain why the test result was so weak and further reinforces that
it is very unlikely that the crew member is contagious.
The Nauru COVID Taskforce met last
night and despite the very low risk from this historical case, and
with an abundance of caution, the Taskforce has advised the
Krishnan to drift and quarantine for a further 10 days.
Nauru Public Health will remotely
review all crew each day for any symptoms or signs of infection and
the crew will be re-tested on the 10th day.
According to WHO guidelines, if a
person who tests positive to COVID but has no symptoms for 10 days,
then the research shows they are no longer contagious and they
cannot spread the virus and WHO guidelines releases them from any
restrictions.
This is a case we have identified
at the border.
This case remains on a vessel and
he has not been on Nauru.
The result is a very weak positive
and it is very likely an old infection and he is no longer
contagious.
Regardless of that low risk, we
have decided to delay operations with this vessel until we are
further reassured that there is no risk of COVID entering
Nauru.
The Taskforce and Public Health
teams will monitor and provide updates as needed.
As the world moves to a new and
different approach to living with COVID and many countries,
including Australia and Fiji, accepting that COVID will be endemic
and that we just need to live with it around us all the time, we
need to expect and not be surprised if we begin to catch more cases
on our border.
However if we either continue to
contain these cases at the border, or ensure we have everyone
protected by vaccination, including our children, then we should no
longer be scared by cases being picked up at the border.
In fact, we should be happy and
celebrate that this shows our systems are working, our Public
Health teams are getting the swabs, our Lab is doing the tests, and
our Taskforce and Health Department are on top of every issue all
the time.
May God continue to bless and
protect Nauru.
Mwa tubwa kor.