By Talebula Kate in Suva
Six teenagers were among 56 people arrested by Fiji police in the past 24 hrs for failure to comply with curfew orders.
Acting Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudtavu said the Southern Division recorded 29 arrests, 16 of them for social gathering while the remaining 13 were for loitering during curfew hours.
He said out of the 13 arrests, five were teenagers ranging from 14 to 17 years.
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‘In the Eastern Division a total of 10 arrests were made and all were alcohol related,” Acting Commissioner Tudravu said.
“Five people were arrested at Vuci and three at Naduri Road Nausori for drinking alcohol while two were arrested for being drunk and loitering during curfew hours,” he said.
The acting commissioner said 17 people had been arrested in the Western Division.
He said six reports were recorded in Rakiraki for drinking liquor and those arrested included a 17-year-old youth.
‘Drunk and loitering’
“Three people were arrested in Ba for being drunk and loitering during curfew hours,” he said.
“In Nadi, a 24-year-old was arrested for being drunk and incapable at Valenimasima while a 65-year-old farmer was arrested as he was driving without any pass during curfew hours.
“Five people were arrested for social gathering as they were drinking liquor along the Namoli seawall in Lautoka.
“The arrest of the six juveniles is worrying and we are again urging parents and guardians to be vigilant and aware of your children’s activities.
“Children need constant guidance so they are not caught up in regrettable situations that could tarnish their future.”
262 new covid cases
Meanwhile, Fiji recorded 262 new cases of covid-19 in the 24-hour period ending at 8am today with 43 cases from six new areas of interest, The Fiji Times reports.
Health Secretary Dr James Fong said in his covid-19 Delta variant update this afternoon that five cases were known contacts of cases from the Nawakalevu containment zone that had been undergoing 14-day quarantine in Nadi facilities.
He said three were contacts from within the existing Korovou cluster, while the remaining 254 cases were from the Lami-Suva-Nausori containment zone.
Dr Fong said 113 cases were from existing areas of interest in this zone, and 43 were from the following new areas of interest:
- Jittu Estate
- MV Liohona Shipping
- Milverton Rd
- Natogadravu
- Waikete Village
- Nauluvatu Village
RNZ Pacific reports that a total of 3521 cases had been recorded since the April 2021 outbreak.
Fiji’s positivity rate, now 7.4 percent, continues to climb further up from 5 percent, which according to the World Health Organisation’s criteria published in May 2020, means the epidemic is not under control.
Talebula Kate is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission.
