BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO
THE government Oversight Committee work focus on preparedness and response plans against covid-19 has been again on Honiara because that is the most likely point of entry of any infection.
Jimmy Rodgers Special Secretary to Prime Minister said the Oversight Committee is again focusing their work in the country’s capital as it is the most likely the entry of the virus,
“All the provinces they are now ready but the focus has been on Honiara because that is the most likely point of entry of any infection,” he said.
Rodgers said apart from Honiara the other focus is Western Boarder because it’s a big border that is not easy to police,
“With this the oversight committees has discussed and planned to set up quarantine facilities at Western Province because if we have border crossers coming in there, there is no capability to hold them on border area so that is one of the things that we are stilling focusing our discussions on,” he said.
Rodgers adds New Zealand and Australian government have committed plans to improve provincial health facilities so work is now moving on and there is sort of a clear focus of Gizo Hospital
“This is because Gizo Hospital is close to the border incase anything comes in there the plan is to contain them at Gizo hospital. So there is a preparatory work going on,” he said.
Rodgers said it is also crucial for every provincial committee must come into action if they have community transmission.
“Now they are ready to act but they don’t actually go into operation yet, but if we have community transmission in any of the provinces they will be active.
So the important thing is to get them into state of readiness so that if and when we need them to respond at community level at provincial level they will then kick into action because it has adopted the NDMO policy,” he said.
Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Environment Climate Change Disaster Management Melchior Mataki said there is really need to support provincial operations to battle covid-19
“So we have seen there is a need for us to really support our provincial operations.
With this covid19 battle there is a need for us to really work together not only with in government agencies but also the support of public to that will enable all operations that government has undertaken will work,” said Mataki.
