A flight ends the safety of the only country free of “Corona”
Having been free of the Corona epidemic since its appearance, Kiribati, a country made up of a group of islands, suffered a major setback, after it opened its borders to receive the first foreign flight in 10 months, which came loaded with dozens of cases of the virus.
And the authorities revealed that 35 people with corona were on a passenger plane that arrived from Fiji, on Friday, with 54 passengers on board, meaning that more than two-thirds of the passengers on the plane were sick.
And “Sky News” quoted the British newspaper, “The Guardian”, that all passengers are now subject to quarantine, and it was discovered that a security guard in the quarantine center had been infected with the virus, on Tuesday, which prompted the state to impose a curfew for two weeks, and to take other public health measures such as wearing Mandatory masks, social distancing and vaccination permits for travel outside the capital, Tarawa.
The security guard and two of his direct contacts were placed in quarantine, while his village was placed under lockdown for two weeks.
And Thursday, two more positive cases were discovered, prompting the government to announce the start of a full lockdown, on Monday, with schools closed and people only allowed to leave their homes for essential services.
The news of the arrivals infected with “Covid 19”, and the security guard, caused panic among the local population, especially as it was leaked to the public instead of being officially announced.
“As parents, we worry about our children because unlike us, they are not immunized and cannot get a single vaccine on the island,” said Karwa Naweyi, a 32-year-old teacher and father of three.
He considered that the arrival of the virus "was inevitable", but added that "the timing could have been avoided, given that Fiji is fighting a third wave of the virus."
Others expressed concern about the delay in imposing the closure, and questions were also asked about how the passengers on the plane contracted the virus, as they were all quarantined for two weeks before the flight, underwent regular tests, and were only allowed to board the plane after negative tests were re-tested.
It is noteworthy that the Republic of Kiribati is an archipelago located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean, and consists of 32 atolls and high coral islands, spread over more than 3.5 million square kilometers on both sides of the equator.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news