Solomons PM confirms Covid-19 border quarantine case

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has today announced that Solomon Islands has reported a border quarantine Covid-19 case.

A foreign national who travelled from Papua New Guinea via Brisbane tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Honiara on Friday.

According to PM Sogavare, the traveler arrived on a ‘high risk flight from Brisbane.’

He said the passenger returned three negative tests prior to departing PNG.

“This positive case shows that even when the traveler fulfills our pre-departure test requirements they can still test positive when they enter our country. This is the reason we have a standing policy to test every person that comes from a high risk country such as Papua New Guinea on arrival.”

Another passenger is being closely monitored.

Sogavare said the ‘suspicious’ case the case tested positive were transferred to the National Referral Hospital isolation unit on Friday night.

The two were part of a group of five people travelling together.

In a special address, Sogavare gave an assurance that the new case is not a risk to the community.

Solomon Islands has registered 19 Covid cases to date.

The Ministry of Health is investigating this latest case.

 

Photo source SIG News Service