Kiribati and Samoa entered lockdowns Saturday after overseas arrivals brought Covid to the Pacific island nations that had avoided the worst of the pandemic for two years.
For this reason early this morning it instigated its alert level 3 and what we understand is a four day lockdown, which will become effective from 3pm on today - 22 January 2022.
Until this month, Kiribati hadn't reported a single virus case, while Samoa had only recorded two since the pandemic began, according to the World Health Organization.
Earlier this week 36 people on a flight from Fiji - the first such flight into the country in months - were found to be infected.
Following the positive test results of a security guard at the quarantine facility and two members of the public, Kiribati's government declared a four-day island-wide lockdown beginning Monday, as well as a two-week curfew beginning Tuesday.
Under the lockdown there will be a 24 hour curfew.
Kiribati's leader said the capital -- home to almost half of the country's 120,000 population -- would be placed under the restrictions after recording its first community cases.
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