Fiji

Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee CEO, Lorraine Mar confirmed the withdrawal to national sporting federations.

Mar said the association has had to withdraw during the height of the second wave of the pandemic, as it has continued to pose adverse effects in the country.

The students are back in the school premises after six and a half months.

Minister of Education, Premila Kumar said face to face learning is vital for the academic achievement, mental and physical health, and overall well-being of students.

She added this is an important term for students as they complete their 2021 syllabus and prepare for external examinations.

The Minister also said that good marks will qualify students for the Toppers Scheme, as well as student loans.

An Australian online media outlet said Australians were flooding hotel and airline sites for Fiji.

Fiji announced earlier this month it would be reopening its borders from December 1 to fully vaccinated Australians.

Other Australian island favourites such as Bali and Thailand are still to confirm when they might welcome tourists back.

The media outlet says it understands a number of hotels have had seen their booking records broken over the past week, with one resort recording AU$60,000 worth of bookings in a single day.

However, the Ministry of Health recorded 22 new cases of the virus.

MOH’s Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong said 54.1 percent of the target population are considered fully vaccinated nationwide.

Dr. Fong added that the test positivity rate sits at four percent which is below the World Health Organization’s five percent threshold.

38 COVID cases are currently hospitalized.

Of these, two are considered severe cases while another is in critical condition.

Another 63 new cases have been recorded for 12 October.

The Ministry of Health’s Permanent Secretary, Doctor James Fong said in the past seven days, 163 cases were recorded in the central division, 211 new cases in the western division, and 17 new cases in the eastern division.

Fong added that the central division cases constitute 71 percent of the cumulative total cases nationally, with the western division making up 27% and 2% in the northern and eastern divisions.

There are ten COVID-19 deaths reported for the period of 7 July to 12 October, 2021.

Fiji is expected to administer Pfizer vaccine to children aged between 12 and 14 years from next month.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said although vaccination is not compulsory, students are encouraged to get vaccinated to protect themselves.

The vaccine is being brought in from New Zealand and will be available from this month.

The Ministry of Health Ministry said all logistical procedures will be looked at before it is administered.

Joshua Aziz Rahman was arrested after Police found 39 bars of cocaine weighing a total of 39.5 kg in a house rented by Rahman and his father in Caubati, Suva in February 2019.

Justice Daniel Goundar said Rahman had the option to live a good and decent life but he chose a life of crime.

He said rehabilitation is of little value when the offender does not take responsibility for his crime.

Fijivillage reports Rahman was not present in court today.

He appeared via a zoom link from the Remand Centre.

A non-parole period of 14 years has been set.

This was underscored during a recent virtual Japan Market Brief for exporters and stakeholders in the Pacific and facilitated by the Pacific Islands Centre (PIC) and the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus Program (PHAMA Plus).

The Brief was attended by PHAMA Plus partners and stakeholders from industry working groups, government agencies and business associations.  It provided insight into doing business in Japan, market opportunities, market access information and service offering for interested exporters.

Charlotte Darlow becomes Fiji High Commissioner.

As a career diplomat, Darlow has been New Zealand's senior official for Pacific regional processes, including the Pacific Islands Forum.

She has also held senior roles focused on climate change, environment, and international security.

Nicola Simmonds is to become High Commissioner to Vanuatu.

She has also had experience across the Pacific and in development, with posts in Solomon Islands, and been the Wellington-based high commissioner to Nauru.

But the Health Ministry said the death was caused by a pre-existing medical condition and not by the delta virus.

The Ministry said several HIV patients, diagnosed with Covid-19 in Fiji, were among 36,724 people who had recovered from the coronavirus since March last year.

Fiji received $US272,000 worth of anti-retroviral medicine from the Atlanta Medicare Company Ltd of Thailand on Tuesday.

The UNAIDS agency contributed $US37,000 in air freight costs.

Australia also donated paediatric HIV drugs and freight worth about $US5000.