A court appearance by Fiji’s COVID-19 patient 9 has been put off as investigators seek further legal advice.
The 54-year-old Soasoa man was scheduled to appear before a magistrate’s court in Labasa today, charged with failure to comply with self-quarantine orders after returning to the country on March 22.
Confirming the turn of events, Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho said “Investigators will be seeking further legal advice before the suspect for the alleged case of breach of quarantine orders in Soasoa, Labasa is produced in Court.”
The suspect remains in custody, police said.
In a public statement, March 19, following confirmation of Fiji’s first COVID-19 case, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama mandated all overseas returnees to observe a 14-day self-isolation period.
“Anyone entering Fiji from any overseas destination will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, meaning they must stay in one place and avoid contact with others or going out in public as much as possible,” he said in the statement.
However, upon arriving in Fiji, the Soasoa man allegedly visited family and friends in Suva and in the North within the 14-day period. He is also believed to be the source of infection in the country’s third cluster of COVID-19 patients.
