THE Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) has activated its operations following the approval of the 60 hours lockdown yesterday evening.
The RSIPF when activating its operations, deployed officers to their strategic locations with the Emergency Zones as of 6PM last night,
Deputy Commissioner Operations, Juanita Matanga said the lockdown started at 6pm last night and will finish at 6am on 22 January 2022.”
DC Matanga said police are providing security in support to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services as the leading agency, following information that a COVID-19 community transmission was recorded here in Honiara.
Ms Matanga said from the police operational perspective, there will be boundaries from Poha Bridge in North West Guadalcanal to Alligator Creek in the Eastern side of Honiara International Airport, within Honiara and part of Guadalcanal policing jurisdiction.
“I call on all communities in Honiara to adhere to Health protocols and cooperate with each other to protect our family, community and the country as we try to manage the transmission of COVID-19 in our communities.
Police will be out there should you need assistance, do not hesitate to call in at the nearest checkpoints.
“It is a lockdown and police will arrest and charge those who breached it. I ask you, my good people in Honiara, to stay home during the lockdown. Other essential services will be exempted and work during the lockdown period to attend other essential services,” DC Matanga said.
WESTERN Provincial Health and Medical Authority sent a team to Noro today to carry out a COVID-19 test on a person who was in close contact with the patient who tested positive in Honiara yesterday.
Acting Director of Health and Medical Service Dr Michael Belande said samples will be brought to the Gizo hospital to determine the results.
He also said a contact tracing team was activated to investigate any third-party contact or more from the patient.
“Currently the patient is in isolation.
“Furthermore, our next plan of action will be determined by the test results,” Belande said.
“If the result comes back positive, we will then increase our surveillance so as our procedures,” he added.
Belande said the Western Province’s Health and Medical Service has activated its Covid-19 Response plan.
He adds that the Health team will refine its standard procedure to meet expected outcomes and most of all stop further transmission.
“We will free up staff to undertake needed roles as per our response plan.
“This is a decision we made in our meeting today because we know our Honiara-based front-liners will be busy with cases in Honiara.
“It is our hope that our workforce will cater for the needed services should there be any worst-case scenario,” Belande said. He said the Gizo vaccination center will be relocated to MSG building so that the previous vaccination center will be used as a fast track clinic, where testing of patients with coronavirus like symptom will be done.
THE Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development says due to the delay in marking national examinations for Years 9, 11, and 12, official results will be delayed.
The examination results would ensure school placements for Years 10 (Form 4), 12 (Form 6), and 13 (Form 7) students.
In a statement today, the ministry of education said the causes of the delay are beyond their control and they regret what happened.
It said the marking of the National Examination papers has been completed and the National Examination and Assessment Division staff are working around the clock to complete the students’ examination data integration, verification, and validation.
Upon completion of these – the students’ placement results will be produced and released.
The Ministry, therefore, said the following are the dates that the Senior Secondary Students’ Placement Results will be released.
· Year 13 (Form 7) Students’ Placement Results are expected to be released on Monday 31st January 2022.
· Years 10 (Form 4) and 12 (Form 6) Students’ Placement Results are expected to be released on 2nd February 2022.
Because of the delay in the release of the Years 10, 12, and 13 Students’ Placement Results, all Education Authorities, School Principals, Students, and Parents are advised that senior secondary schools that have these levels of secondary education will commence classes on Monday 7th February 2022.
The rest of the secondary school classes (i.e. years 7 to 9 and year 11) and primary schools (years 1 to 6) should commence their classes on the 24th January 2022 as previously announced.
ALL Honiara City Council clinics will open and provde health services in Honiara exepct for Vura and Mbokonavera clinics.
This was confirmed by the office of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services.
“All HCC Health clinics will be open except for Vura and Mbokonavera clinic,” a statement from the Ministry of Health said.
The health statement also said two satellite clinics will be open at SINU Panatina clinic & Burns Creek School.
“If are you sick during the lockdown, do not wait, go to your nearest Clinic. Use your private vehicle and inform the police at a checkpoint of your need to reach the clinic, or call St John Ambulance on phone 111 or 911 or National Referral Hospital 44000 or 44073 or 21068 for any emergency,” Ministry of Health said.
A Chinese worker teaching local workers how to assemble reinforcement.
OPPOSITION leader Mathew Wale has thanked the People’s Republic of China and CCECC for employing and training locals under the National Stadium Project.
This was in response to Ambassador Li Ming’s statement on the progress of the National Stadium Project for next year’s Pacific Games.
According to Ambassador Ming, the project is now employing 370 locals with the intention of also absorbing students and new graduates.
Responding to the press release, Wale said in a statement that this is welcoming news.
“Given these hard times, the jobs provided by PRC and CCECC is a great assistance to Solomon Islanders,” Wale said.
However, Wale calls on the PRC and CCECC to employ more locals than planned.
“Whilst acknowledging the already 370 employed locals, I urge PRC and CCECC to increase the number given the dire state of our economy.
“This increase should be part of their social contribution towards this nation.”
Owners of Oravae Cottage, Patterson Baea with his wife Naomi Baea
BY BEN BILUA Gizo
Forgot your mirror? don’t worry, we have a natural mirror; the glassy sea in the lagoon can help you fix your hair.
Want to spend a romantic time on a hideaway in total privacy, not a problem, you can have the whole island to your own.
Or, if you are recently engaged and want to strengthen your friendship, visit Oravae and its magic will do the trick.
Oravae Cottage is the taste of the island way of life in the Western Province.
Oravae interior
Oravae Cottage is less than 15 minutes’ boat drive west of Gizo, the capital of Western Province and for first timers, 15 minutes will be like 300 seconds, your mind will play you up seeing the beautiful shorelines while cruising to Oravae.
The homestay is equipped with two bungalows suitable for both couples and single travelers; a bar to cool off in the evenings and a beautiful view.
Guests can sit on the balconies and wave to boats cruising past the lagoon or sit on the jetties enjoying their cool beer while watching different colored fish dancing below.
Guests cannot miss boats filled with passengers every morning and evening as market vendors so as people from Vella normally cruise pass the lagoon.
Bar on the Island
Delicious prepared local seafood for lunch, while enjoying a slide in to the sea on an outdoor slide, water-skiing and swimming are the best giveaway guests will never regret.
Glamorous as you can imagine, but what has been happening to Oravae Cottage in the past years are heart breaking.
I met the owners of Oravae Cottage, Patteson Baea and his wife Naomi Baea during the closing of the Western Solomons Surfing Competition.
They are lovely, polite and generous at all levels. They are resilient and hardworking.
I sat down with Mr Baea and half way through our conversation, I know Baea and his wife are hardworking. They put meaning to the word “resilience”.
Baea recalled that he started the business in 1997.
Cottage owners
Three years into the operation the tensions broke out and the family was forced to go and live in Australia.
“When tension broke out in late 1999 to 2000, we decided to leave the country. We went to Australia, which is my wife’s country of origin and stayed there.
“We told our relatives to look after the island for us.
“It was heartbreaking to leave Oravae behind. It’s like leaving a child behind with the care of a nun,” Baea said.
He said his family returned in 2005 and rebuilt what were left after the tension.
WPG Minister of Tourism Hon Ronnie Gemu pose for a photo with participants of the Swimming Competition
This time the homestay is fully furnished with brand new buildings and the setting is beautiful.
As Baea and his wife predict life will return to normal, then the 2007 Tsunami brought the resort to chaos with severe damage to its properties.
“This was another blow to our business. We lost everything, like everything was gone in a matter of minute.
One of the surfers, Simae puts on a spectacular performance
“It was another heart-breaking situation for me and my wife but we stay put and focused on the best response plan,” he said.
Two years later, in 2009 Baea and his hardworking wife picked up the pieces and rebuild from the damages caused by the Tsunami but this time the homestay was nowhere near to where it was after the refurbishment in 2005.
“We built this bungalow first, then we built another one over there, he points to the other bungalow sitting above the sea.
“Before that building, we built the bar and here we are,” he said.
The view from Oravae resort
Like every tourism operators, Baea said COVID-19 is another major blow to Oravae.
“Most of our guests came from outside of the country and the travel restrictions as borders close has been a difficult challenge.
“I think the “Umi tugeda Holiday” initiative had given us a little breathing space to do what we loved to do,” he said.
Baea said the local travel bubble gave local tourism operators, especially Oravae a leverage to continue with operation though the devastating impact of COVID-19 to the economy.
As resilient as they are, Baea and his wife are slowly walking hand in hand together to stay afloat.
“Oravae Cottage welcomes local guests to enjoy their time here. “We sell the Island to our guests not rooms. Our markets strategy is; Island of your own. We want our guest to feel free while spending their holidays here,” Baea said.
Reach out to Oravae management for more information.
Ontong Java island of Luaniua from above. Photo: Beni Knight.
BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
THE country has recorded its first community transmission cases of Covid-19 after six people tested positive at Pelau Island in the Ontong Java atolls.
The Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare confirmed this in his nation wide address over the last hour.
The six were part of 10 people who illegally crossed the border from Tasman Island in Papua New Guinea on the 10th of January 2022.
The Prime Minister revealed that one of those who made the crossing was a medical doctor.
“The number of positive cases is expected to grow rapidly in the coming weeks, and people will get ill as well as loss of life is expected,” Mr Sogavare said.
He said the government is now focusing on managing transmission on Pelau, and will investigate those that cross the border.
Meanwhile, a lockdown of Ongtong Java is immediate as of today.
Police Commander for Malaita province, Lesley Kili
BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
COMMANDING officer of the current police operation in Auki, Mr Lesley Kili says they will continue to provide policing awareness to people in and around Auki town.
He said in an interview yesterday that they received requests from eight communities for the awareness program and number of have already completed.
Kili said so far they visited Auki Central Market, Kilusakwalo and Ambu communities on the policing awareness program.
He said today they will be visiting, Lilisiana, Gwounaru and Kwa communities on the program. Adding that the team will go as far as Bina in west Kwaio that scheduled for Saturday 15th.
Kili said the awareness program is part of the current operation in Auki, so that people will interact with police and learn how they should work together.
He said another important area is for communities to clear on the current police operation in Auki.
Kili said so far communities that visited with the policing awareness had appreciated the program and police thanked them for positive feedbacks from received from them.
He said the awareness program is important as people will learn on the work of police and support everyone needed to uphold law and order in the province.
Kili thanked leaders from communities they had already visited and look forwards for partnership with the communities they are yet to visit on the program.
DEMAND made by the public of Malaita in Auki on Wednesday this week for the immediate departure of Patrol boat 06 Taro from Auki has been resolved.
The issue was addressed upon a consultation made by police with the public of Malaita in Auki yesterday.
Commanding the current police operation in Auki, Lesley Kili confirmed that in an interview yesterday, thanking the public of Auki for their understanding on the matter.
“Since our arrival we continue to dialogue with communities and the public of Auki on the purpose of the arrival of the patrol boat and the operation in Auki,” Kilia said.
“Until Wednesday when the demand for the immediate departure of the boat was made and today (yesterday) we met again with the public and ironed things out,” he added.
“During our dialogue the public’s doubts on the boat and operation were cleared and we solved the matter (demand).”
Kili said during all these dialogues and awareness programs in and around Auki the boat was there as part of the team to provide law and order support and nothing else as people might speculate.
Kili says the misunderstandings have been cleared and sorted.
He says the patrol boat will continue to stay at Auki wharf until such time the operation is called off.
Acting PPC Malaita, Eddie Koto also told Island Sun that the police have taken time to discuss the matter with a number of ethnic groups in the province.
He says a built-up to a protest to pursue the demand for the departure of the patrol boat was peacefully calmed down by police.
Koto thanked the public in Auki for their understanding and for allowing the current police operation to continue.
He says the demand for the patrol boat to leave has been withdrawan.
James Kana, left, receiving the biogas sets from Israeli consul Leliana Firisua, yesterday at Betikama Adventist College, where the project will be first implemented.
MAIN national secondary schools across the country will benefit from an Israeli-designed Home BioGas System.
This new system is expected to significantly reduced their costs in purchasing gas for their cooking.
Israeli consul in Solomon Islands Leliana Firisua yesterday handed over the home gas system to James Kana, managing director of Ueniusuunu Agribusiness Group, who will be implementing the project with the schools.
Schools to benefit under the project operate under the Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA).
According to Firisua, the initial 4.0 system are the chain of newly designed Home Biogas, which are now available in three categories – 2.0, 4.0. and 7.0.
An example of the Israeli designed Biogas system being implemented in Fiji.
“The first system of Home Biogas 4.0 will be implemented at the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) operated Betikama Adventist College,” Firisua said.
He said from Betikama, the implementation team will move to Selwyn College (Anglican Church of Melanesia), St Joseph’s Tenaru (Catholic), Su’u National Secondary School (South Seas Evangelical Church) and then onto to Goldie College in Western Province, run by the Wesley United Church in Solomon Islands.
Firisua said Israeli designed this Biogas System to help Pacific Islands countries, including Solomon Islands, to fight the impacts of climate change.
Meanwhile, Kana said his Ueniusuúnu Agribusiness Group (UAG) is a rural based initiative that operates agribusiness from rural village communities to local and overseas market through a farmer membership group in Small Malaita.
He said the goal of the business is to commercially market local resources where innovative sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to generating income leads to quality standards of living and prosperity for rural farmers, their families and communities.
Implementing the biogas system in Fiji.
Kana said all identified Israeli technologies potential for Solomon Islands is planned for with his company, who will be heading the implementation of the clean green technology of the HomeBiogas Systems from this year.
“This includes other innovative technologies to be introduced to Pacific Island countries from Israel focusing mainly on Climate Change,” he explained.
