Blog
Pacific Security College - 4 Feb 2022
COVID-19 – the Pacific response: February 2022
The rapid spread of the Omicron variant within the Pacific has seen community transmission in the previously COVID-19-free countries of Palau, Kiribati, Tonga, and Solomon Islands. The Omicron variant has led to a significant increase in the number of cases throughout the Pacific region to start 2022, with the majority of countries now seeing community…
Blog
Henrietta McNeill - 1 Feb 2022
COVID-19 may create a flood of criminal deportees to the Pacific
Closed borders have created a backlog of criminal deportations to Pacific Islands states, and more effective transition programs are needed to reduce the risk of recidivism among returnees, Henrietta McNeill and Magele Vernon Mackenzie write.
Blog
Pacific Security College - 16 Dec 2021
COVID-19 – the Pacific response: 2021 in review
Although COVID-19 will remain a major challenge for governments in the Pacific, there is hope that 2022 will see the region reconnecting with the rest of the world. In 2021, the Pacific’s focus on the COVID-19 pandemic moved from the immediate health challenges of preventing the spread of the virus, to grappling with new variants,…
COVID-19 – the Pacific response: 2 December
Fiji continues with plans to open borders despite the emergence of the Omicron variant, whilst new analysis has warned that some Pacific countries may not be fully vaccinated for years. The emergence of the Omicron strain of COVID-19 has created worldwide uncertainty over nations’ pathway out of the pandemic. There is little known about the…
Blog
Elizabeth Kopel - 25 Nov 2021
Why is Delta out of control in PNG?
The Papua New Guinea Government needs to take decisive action to stop the spread of COVID-19, Elizabeth Kopel writes. A recent Delta variant outbreak is having devastating impact on Papua New Guinea (PNG). Whilst governments around the globe have struggled to manage the variant, this outbreak has been made worse by low compliance with COVID-19…
COVID-19 – the Pacific response: 19 November
Our fortnightly update on COVID-19 in the Pacific Fiji has taken the first step in reopening its international borders, and Papua New Guinea has seen a reduction in new official case numbers. Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s COVID-19 outbreak has improved slightly since the last update, with the country recording 812 cases in the past week,…