COVID-19

One of the carriers is in hospital care.

The latest update shows that for three consecutive days there has been an increase of the tally by just one.

All cases are in Tahiti and Moorea.

The first case was recorded three weeks ago.

Last week’s announcement that the Olympics have been delayed a year has caused the sevens coach an unexpected headache, and the problem extends to his squad as a number of players had planned to take up lucrative deals in 15s rugby – most notably in America’s enlarged Major League Rugby – after the Olympic Games.

The lure of Olympic gold will now force these players to look again at those club contracts and decide if they want to remain part of the Fijian sevens squad as it attempts to repeat the glory it won at the 2016 Games in Rio. 

Takeshi Nakai warns the epidemic is far from over and people should be prepared for a long-term battle.

However, Dr Nakai said countries in Asia show there are successful ways of slowing the spread of the pandemic.

He said these include finding, isolating and testing cases early.

Dr Nakai said tracing and quarantining contacts quickly as well as stopping physical interaction is also proven to help.

The staff will be stood down from April 1-June 30 and remaining staff had been offered "significant" pay-cuts or reduced hours.

"Today we have had to deliver the hardest news imaginable to our incredible, hard-working and passionate staff, that many of them will be stood down for a three-month period so that the game can survive this unprecedented crisis," RA Chief Executive Raelene Castle said in a statement.

He is feeling well, and will continue to anchor his 9 p.m. program "Cuomo Prime Time" from his home.

"In these difficult times that seem to get more difficult and complicated by the day, I just found out that I am positive for coronavirus," Cuomo wrote in a message on Twitter.

"I have been exposed to people in recent days who have subsequently tested positive and I had fevers, chills and shortness of breath," he wrote. "I just hope I didn't give it to the kids and Cristina. That would make me feel worse than this illness!"

The name change reinforces the government’s efforts in helping Vanuatu battle Covid-19 and also reminds customers to stay safe during these trying times.

All Digicel mobile phones in Vanuatu are programmed to show this change but there are some that may not depending on the type of phone.

The safety of our customers and staff is of paramount importance. Not only have we changed our network name to “Digicel – Stay Safe”, we have also zero-rated the below sites to keep everyone updated FREE during the coronavirus pandemic.

Income losses are expected to exceed $220 billion in developing countries, and nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost. With an estimated 55 per cent of the global population having no access to social protection, these losses will reverberate across societies, impacting education, human rights and, in the most severe cases, basic food security and nutrition.

Guam is one of the few Pacific locations to currently conduct its own testing.

The local Governor's Press Secretary, Krystal Paco-San Agustin, announced the results of the latest batch of samples.

"We have an additional two positive confirmed cases of Covid-19. Guam Public Health Lab tested 20 samples, two returned positve, 18 came back negative.

"That brings our total Covid count to 58 cases of Covid-19 here in island. That includes one death and seven recoveries."

The only accurate information on COVID-19 are those that are dispatched by the Ministry of Health and the National Disaster Management Committee and not anything or anyone outside these sources.

President of VANGO, Lai Sakita, says a lot of information has already been circulated but not all members of the civil society are connected through airwaves, through internet or through other main sources of information.

“This is a time when civil society networks become crucial to save lives.

The current suspension of sanctioned rugby activities caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the existing financial challenges facing the Union, and a reorganization process will now be progressed with input from World Rugby.