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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3) – A student who has just returned to the Solomon Islands from the Philippines ended the country’s coronavirus-free status of Oceania.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare announced the country’s first COVID-19 case on Saturday, “a student who arrived on a repatriation flight from the Philippines.”
“This student was quarantined in Manila before boarding the flight to return home. He tested negative in all three tests we did in Manila, which was a mandatory requirement,” Sogavare said in an online briefing.
He said contact tracing is ongoing and that all front-line personnel who came into contact with the infected student will be quarantined and examined. He said officials are also working to inform authorities in the Philippines so that all necessary precautions can be taken.
While the Solomon Islands government is aware of the risks of repatriating students trapped in other countries amid the pandemic, “bringing them home was the most humane thing to do,” Sogavare said. However, she announced that repatriation flights are temporarily suspended for evaluation and review.
The prime minister expressed confidence that the government can contain the coronavirus, which has infected more than 34 million people worldwide since it was discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
“Preparedness and response measures taken by the government over the last eight months have already been activated and are now fully operational,” Sogavare said.
While the Solomon Islands had prevented the coronavirus disease from entering the country, the Philippines has recorded more than 319,000 infections, with 5,678 deaths. The Philippines is among the top 20 countries with the most COVID-19 cases, but local officials say the number of patients currently ill is only around 58,000 as more than 255,000 patients have already recovered from the viral illness.
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