A Malaysian national has tested positive for COVID-19.

The infected person is a crew member of a logging carrier vessel that is currently anchored outside of Gizo town in the Western Province.

Provincial health authorities in the Western Province confirmed that the person was tested positive after his third test.

They also confirmed that those health officers that boarded the vessel and conducted the tests are currently in isolation at one of the designated quarantine sites in Gizo.

Health authorities also confirmed that none of the other passengers on board the vessel went ashore since their arrival. For now, authorities are confident that relevant procedures were followed and the infected person is being monitored.

It is understood that the time of exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is between 2 to 14 days. Symptoms typically appear within 4 or 5 days after exposure. A person with COVID-19 is said to be contagious 48 hours before starting to experience symptoms.

Since the person was tested positive while onboard a foreign vessel it will not be registered as a Solomon Islands case. Such cases will be categorized as conveyance cases, similar to the positive case detected onboard a foreign cargo vessel MV Chefoo in early April, 2021.

The vessel is currently under strict quarantine and the public is advised to stay away from the vessel.