COVID-19

A total of 1,528 repatriates are now safely home with loved ones and Vanuatu remains COVID-19 free.

A press release said the success was due to strict travel and quarantine conditions imposed by NDMO and the Ministry of Health under the NDMO’s ‘Instrument of Directions to Government Agencies relating to COVID-19 and Tropical Cyclone Harold (Amendment) Order No. 77 of 2020’ dated 23 May, under the Disaster Risk Management Act.

To boost tourism, quarantine obligations will be lifted in the middle of next week.

Flights between Tahiti and Paris restarted a week ago, and from 15 July Air Tahiti Nui will also resume its return flighs to Los Angeles

However, anyone bound for Tahiti has to undergo a Covid-19 test 72 hours before departure, register with the authorities and self-test four days after arrival.

The authorities said the self-test kit was widely used in the US and in German schools.

It is not immediately clear what happens for those disregarding the rules.

The first case is a woman in her 20s who arrived in New Zealand on 3 July from India. She has been staying in isolation at the Stamford Plaza in Auckland.

The second is a man in his 30s who arrived in New Zealand on 4 July from Italy and who is at the Commodore Hotel in Christchurch. The third is a man in his 20s who arrived in New Zealand on 3 July from India, and has also been at the Stamford Plaza.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said it had now been 69 days since the last case of Covid-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source.

The acting permanent secretary for health, James Fong, and the head of health protection, Aalisha Sahu Khan, said Fiji must be ready to welcome back people who have been stuck overseas for months.

"We urge you, please have some compassion for our returning citizens. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine if it was your parents," Dr Sahu khan said.

The FBC reported Dr Fong saying Fijians could not lose sight of their humanity.

As long as the country welcomed back its own citizens from nations with large scale outbreaks, there would be cases at the border, he said.

The analysis by the European Club Association also warned that the biggest losses would be felt next season, even if it is played in full.

European football was brought to a near standstill in March and, although many leagues restarted last month, most had to do so without spectators. This was a particular blow in smaller leagues where clubs are more dependent on gate receipts for their income.

It comes after New Zealand also said it would be looking at limiting the number of arrivals in the country via a booking system.

The prime minister said there were no plans to reimpose restrictions across the country, after Victoria enforced stay-at-home rules in metropolitan Melbourne and one regional area due to a spike in infections.

Morrison was asked about the issue of travel bubbles being set up with other countries and taxing travellers.

"We haven't even concluded in the arrangements with any other countries at the moment.

The WHO has said the coronavirus disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with Covid-19 coughs, sneezes or speaks.

In an open letter to the agency, which the researchers plan to publish in a scientific journal next week, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence showing smaller particles can infect people, the newspaper reported.

The 3,000 or so residents of the blocks are being told not to leave their homes for any reason for at least five days.

At least 23 cases of infection were found on two estates in recent days.

The state of Victoria recorded 108 new cases on Saturday, its second-biggest daily increase. Australia as a whole has seen 104 coronavirus deaths.

There have been at least 8,362 infections nationwide.

Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews said the latest figures there were a very real concern to everybody.

All users have to do is carry one, and the battery lasts up to nine months without needing a recharge - something one expert said had "stunned" him.

The government agency which developed the devices acknowledges that the Tokens - and technology in general - aren't "a silver bullet", but should augment human contact-tracers' efforts.

The first to receive the devices are thousands of vulnerable elderly people who don't own smartphones.

To do so, they had to provide their national ID and phone numbers - TraceTogether app users recently had to start doing likewise.

Many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available.

Some countries are experiencing a resurgence in infections, leading authorities to partially reinstate lockdowns, in what experts say could be a recurring pattern into 2021.