COVID-19

The Permanent Secretary for Health James Fong said Fijians have become too "complacent and wishful thinking" in their response to the second wave of the virus.

He said positive samples sent to a Melbourne laboratory had confirmed that the Indian variant of the virus is circulating in Fiji.

The Indian variant was first detected in India last October and has since spread to more than 40 other countries.

After the discovery of the new cases, parts of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva and the Nadi Hospital are now on lockdown.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong, said five cases are from the Navosai Narere cluster outside Suva , one from Waila in Nausori, one from Nawaka in Nadi and two are from the CWM hospital.

A total of nine local cases were recorded on Monday, which included six flagged by the government at its daily Covid-19 press conference yesterday.

The state recorded 42,699 test results and 20,484 vaccinations at state-run centres.

There are now 329 exposure sites, with the South Melbourne ALDI, the Woolworths at Heidelberg and a number of sites in Brimbank Shopping Centre added last night as Tier 1 sites.

Federal Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck said he was comfortable with the pace of the vaccine roll out in aged care.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that although infection were falling they remained high, and that some hospitals were still under strain

Restriction will be in place until 19 June, five weeks before the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics are due to start.

Organisers said they would wait until the emergency ends on 20 June to decide whether to allow local fans to attend.

Overseas fans have already been barred.

The lockdown will begin at midnight on Thursday (14:00 GMT).

Authorities have so far found 26 cases, and identified 150 sites where people may have been exposed to the virus.

There is growing anxiety over the outbreak which reminds many locals of a devastating second wave that swept the state last year.

Victoria's acting Premier James Merlino said the outbreak involved a highly contagious strain of the virus, the B.1.617 variant. A returned traveller was infected with the strain, which Mr Merlino said was spreading "faster than we have ever recorded".

Nauru Media News – NTV reports a number of crew members on drifting vessels in the EEZ tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days and weeks.

Fishermen are strongly advised to keep clear of any ship that is at sea around Nauru and not to make any contact with its crew members.

This includes cargo, fuel and fishing vessels such as purse seiners. Fortunately, none of the positive crew and vessels has come to Nauru as they are in isolation.

That's in large part thanks to the early move to shut its borders - a policy that has consistently been supported by the public.

But after a year in the cocoon, there is growing unease in the country over the so-called "Fortress Australia" policy.

Recent announcements declaring that Australia won't open up until mid-2022 - meaning a two year-plus isolation - have amplified concerns.

A year ago, 42% (143 respondents) expected to return to pre-COVID revenue levels by 2021, reflecting at the time improved confidence in a more positive outlook. This is in comparison to the most recent survey, where 12 % (106 respondents), remain confident of returning to pre-COVID revenue in 2021 and 50% expecting it in 2022 or later.

The cases are members of one household in Muanikoso, Nasinu.

One of these cases is an employee of Extra Supermarket.

So all five of these cases have been under home quarantine following the discovery of that cluster last week. Contact tracing investigations are ongoing.

The Ministry of Health said their contact tracing for a case announced yesterday from the Vunimono/Nadali cluster has identified him as being a potentially high-risk case for transmission.

He is a driver for a security company and was working up until Wednesday, 19 May.

The Australian carrier also said it would report an annual loss before tax of more than $1.5bn (A$2bn, £1.1bn).

But it added that its debt pile had peaked and was likely to fall as domestic travel was on track to hit pre-pandemic levels.

Qantas said its international division was losing about $2.3m a week, down from $3.9m last month.

Its latest cost-cutting plans include a two-year wage freeze, slashing travel agents' commissions for international flights and offering voluntary redundancies to cabin crew in its international business.