COVID-19 RELEASE (11)

9th April

Fifty-three (53) people will front court today as Police officers continue to make arrests for COVID-19 restriction breaches.

Social gathering breaches accounted for thirty-three (33) arrests, curfew breaches eighteen (18) arrests and two (2) men aged 18 and 28years were arrested for breaching the lockdown restrictions after they allegedly tried to get into Suva through the Nausori border.

From the thirty-three (33) social gathering breaches, a group of eight (8) youths were arrested after allegedly refusing to disperse after being warned not to play rugby in Lokia yesterday.

The remaining twenty-five (25) arrests made in the East and Southern Division were for those found drinking yaqona.

Of the eighteen (18) curfew arrests, West recorded four (4), South eleven (11), North two (2), East one (1) while nil arrests were recorded in the Central Division.

It's clear that people are still taking things lightly as seen with the number of arrests even as the nation experienced the impacts of Severe Tropical Cyclone Harold creating more work for officers on the ground.

TC Harold has passed and we have COVID-19 still here to deal with and we cannot afford to be complacent with a virus that is claiming thousands of lives every 24 hours globally.

Stop gambling with your lives and the lives of your loved ones, because when you selfishly leave your home to meet up with others over a tanoa of yaqona or a drinking party, you could be the one responsible for spreading the virus,  which is why health officials have and continue to reiterate that everyone should Stay home to Save lives and refrain from gathering in numbers.

COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho