Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has extended the current lockdown to 9am tomorrow morning 30th January 2022. A partial lockdown will be implemented with immediate effect thereafter.
The Prime Minister says only the Lord Howe settlement and Burns Creek will remain under lockdown until it is lifted.
He says for the rest of the Honiara emergency zone the partial lockdown will take effect starting tomorrow when lockdown is lifted at 9am.
While no one outside the Honiara emergency zone will be allowed in, a curfew will be implemented for those inside the Honiara emergency zone, starting at 3pm to 9am the next day.
The Prime Minister says business and government services will be available from 9am to 3pm daily, and only those fully vaccinated will be able to access such service.
He says this approach ensures that we allow economic activities to continue while also managing the risk of further community transmission.
Honiara residents were caught off guard by the announcement, which was made just after 6.30pm, many had already gone into town to re-stock on supplies. The lockdown for the Honiara emergency zone had expired at 6pm today.
The Prime Minister called on Honiara residents to return home, and assured them that food supplies are being distributed by the livelihood team, which should last them for a few days.
He reminds the public to respect the curfew and to limit movements to town as the infection has already covered most of Honiara.