Fiji’s Ministry of Education has allowed the use of 41 schools as part of COVID-19 containment efforts.
The Minister of Education, Rosy Akbar said four schools were currently being used as isolation centres with other schools earmarked to be used by the Ministry of Health as quarantine facilities, emergency operation centres and accommodation for frontline workers.
“Since some of these schools need to meet the Health Ministry’s requirements, the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and the Ministry of Infrastructure have identified improvements to these schools to meet those purposes,” she said according to a Fiji Times report.
“In this regard, some schools are currently undergoing minor renovations.”
She said a few more schools from the approved 41 schools would be used as isolation centres.
Meanwhile, a total of 124 beds have been lined up at Vodafone Arena in Suva, which is now part of the Fiji Emergency Medical Assistance Team Field Hospital (FEMAT).
With the rising cases of COVID-19 in Fiji, FEMAT Field Hospital Obstetrics and Gynecologist Dr Viliame Nasila said the wards were manned by eight nurses per shift.
“The Field Hospital also has specialist doctors from internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and eye departments who attend to patients requiring specialist care,” he said.
“Currently the facility has 124-bed capacity. 100 in the Vodafone Arena, which are the stretcher beds, 14 beds in the rhesus and trauma area and 10 beds in the isolation facility.”
The FEMAT Field Hospital is only receiving emergency cases referred to from other health facilities.
Patients who come in either from home or a health facility without having a COVID test result, are referred to an isolation facility where they are tested and await the COVID test results.