Vanuatu ship visit puts island under lockdown

Vanuatu’s Director of Public Health says the island of Malekula will remain in lockdown until a ship that visited there is cleared of Covid-19.

Len Tarivonda said the Filipino cargo vessel had gone to the island to load copra and interacted with at least two men there.

Malekula was placed on lockdown and the ship, the Amazin, was sent to Port Vila where further investigations are being carried out.

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Dr Tarivonda said although the ship had reportedly been cleared before arriving in Vanuatu, it needed to be cleared again.

“We need to make sure that the ship being the potential source of infection, is cleared again here in Port Vila before we decided on any measures that we will take in Malekula.”

Tarivonda said a Malekula man had travelled with the ship to Port Vila.

- RNZ