Features Archive January 2022

Kiribati, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands have entered lockdowns after overseas arrivals brought COVID-19 to the Pacific Island nations, which had largely managed to keep the virus out since the pandemic began.

If you are caring for yourself or a loved one at home, how can you keep everyone safe? Who should be cared for at home? How to prevent COVID-19 infection to other family members? What red flags should you look for that tell you it is time to contact the health care provider?

When the pandemic hit, Pacific Island countries closed their borders to workers hired through the federal government’s Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP), preventing them from returning home.

As the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to surge across the world, the UN health agency on Tuesday said that it was crucial that more is done to help all countries receive lifesaving coronavirus jabs as quickly as possible.

The new year brings opportunities and challenges for the Pacific. There are big questions being asked across the region – questions that go to the heart of how countries, peoples and regional organisations see themselves and how they relate to the rest of the world.

The ‘Influen-shell’ social media campaign promoting local businesses, which was developed in partnership between Meta (formerly Facebook) and the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has successfully concluded its initial run.