Fiji

The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) said it had activated the national emergency operations centre.

A cyclone alert remains in force for Yasawa, the Mamanuca Group, Viti Levu, Kadavu, Lomaiviti and Southern Lau.

On its projected track, Harold, currently a category five storm, was expected to lose strength but pass just south of Kadavu before moving towards southern Lau on Wednesday.

The NDMO urged families and communities to put into practice their disaster preparedness plans.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says the latest case came after a batch of 25 samples were tested overnight.

He said the confirmed cases was the husband of an existing patient from Lautoka, someone who had done a Zumba exercise class with Fiji's first coronavirus case.

Mr Bainimarama said the 33-year-old man was now in isolation.

The man represented the sixth confirmed transmission that could be traced back to Fiji's first case, a flight attendant who had returned from overseas.

The government said all 15 patients remained in stable condition.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the first new case is the wife of the man from Labasa. She was taken into isolation two days before being diagnosed positive this morning.

The second new case is the sister of Fiji’s very first case, the flight attendant from Lautoka. 

Bainimarama says this was a case they have long been expecting.

More than 500 people including police officers, church ministers and representative rugby players have been arrested for breaching the quarantine, lockdown and curfew restrictions.

Twenty-four people were also detained for holding gatherings of more than 20.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama warned anyone caught breaking the law would be dealt with severely.

"This level of lawlessness is irresponsible, un-Fijian and just plain stupid," he said.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said this was the highest recorded number of cases in a day.

Two of the new cases included a 20-year-old woman from Nadi who had returned from New Zealand on 22 March and a 39-year-old woman from Lautoka who is linked to the country's first case.

The other three cases are all linked to the Suva couple who tested positive to the coronavirus on Thursday. The couple's 11-year-old daughter, a 54-year-old man who recently travelled to India and Singapore and another close contact of the family.

New curfew hours of 8pm to 5am were activated last (Friday) night.

Fijian Police Commissioner, Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho, said,” The high number of arrests made during the curfew hours from 8pm to 5am this morning is a shocking sign of disobedience in a time where we are needing everyone to listen, obey, comply and restrict movement and gatherings.”

One hundred and twenty-three (123) people were arrested during the nationwide curfew hours.

For unions like Samoa, Fiji and Tonga, commercial viability was already challenging and with USA Rugby filing for bankruptcy along with larger rugby nations facing serious financial worries, Pacific clubs and unions were becoming concerned for their future.

The CEO of Samoa Rugby, Faleomavaega Vincent Fepulea'i, said he was seeking financial support from World Rugby.

Fiji closed its border to Europe, China, South Korea and Iran on 8 March due to the Covid-19 threat.

Foreign Affairs Minister Inia Seruiratu said the government received a request from the British High Commission and is working with Fiji Airways to find an alternative route for those stranded.

"It's not only about getting them out of Fiji but to which destination. That is a challenge. It's not that simple. We have to have agreements because other countries have locked down as well."

Inia Seruiratu said a committee had been set up to look into the matter.

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama confirmed the two cases at a news conference, bringing the national total to seven.

The couple are hairdressers, and their cases are unrelated to the country's five other cases. The pair and their daughter are being isolated at Navua Hospital.

Tracing teams are now trying to locate people who may have come into contact with the family.

The prime minister confirmed that Suva would go into lockdown from 5am on Friday, in a similar fashion to Lautoka, on Viti Levu's west coast, which has been sealed off for two weeks.

Thousands of Fijians have been sent home or put on reduced pay.

The director of Pacific Destinations, James Sowane, has warned of the social cost to the nation.

He said the worst-case scenario was when mums and dads were at home when the bailiff arrived to repossess their goods.

Then there were those with mortgages, he said, who could lose their homes.

Mr Sowane said when parents could not feed their family or keep their home, they would be forced to make some very difficult decisions.