Lockdowns across the world have pushed people into the privacy of their homes, unintentionally closing the shutters on violence against children. Children and young people are facing unprecedented threats to their childhoods and futures as a result of COVID-19.
While the Pacific awaits the return of visitors, strategic partnerships between regional agencies are working to ensure that the tourism and aviation sectors are adequately prepared for the reopening of borders for tourism.
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) otherwise known as the ‘Silent Killer’ has been placed on the backburner while Vanuatu continues to keep, what it seems like its full attention, on COVID-19.
The previous article in this series looked at how much Pacific governments were spending in response to COVID-19. Of equal interest is the question of what they are spending on. As part of Devpolicy’s Pacific Covid Economic Database research, we have attempted to answer this question for the…
In these ever changing and complex times, we understand that being informed and up to date is not easy. In an attempt to ensure we share as much information as possible, we will be providing more regular updates such as this one. While the current COVID-19 situation is still one of rapid cha…
The Vanuatu Government’s priority through the Department of Tourism is the implementation of the Vanuatu Tourism Crises Response and Recovery Plan (VTCRRP).
The Council of Ministers (CoM) decision No. 103 on July 16 has approved the commencement of negotiations for the travel bubble, now officially known as the Tamtam Bubble.
Have the past few months of economic hardship caused by COVID-19 made Australians more hostile to their government giving foreign aid? New survey data provide a surprising answer to that question.
On July 1, three political parties of the Vanuatu coalition government, Vanua’aku Pati (VP), Union of Moderate Parties (UMP) and National United Party (NUP) joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in a virtual seminar with the theme “Cooperation against COVID-19 and Working Together for De…
All of us are currently faced with making challenging and complex decisions during these strange COVID-19 times. For me as the Commissioner of Labour, this complexity was magnified when playing a key role in making decisions around repatriation. There is the constant dilemma of how do we kee…
A total of 124 repatriated citizens were sent home yesterday after spending 14-days in quarantine at Iririki Resort and were declared free of COVID-19 by the Health authorities.
The government will spend around Vt50 million to cover the quarantine cost of over 1,500 citizens and residents in the first repatriation phase, said Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), Esline Bule.
In preparing and responding to COVID-19 in mitigating with students; Teachers and School Committees, the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and Ministry of Health (MOH) are currently visiting provinces to re-activate Health Promoting School (HPS) in provinces of Penama, Tafea, Torba a…
COVID-19 has had a far greater economic impact than health impact on Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Pacific.
The COVID-19 global pandemic is the most extensive to afflict humanityin a century. It poses a grave threat tohuman life and health.
P&O Cruises welcomed home its much-loved Ni Vanuatu crew with the arrival of a special airlift from the Philippines on Monday.
Market vendors who have become victims of the decision by the SHEFA Provincial Government Council (SPGC) to limit number of vendors at the Manples Market, are currently using the parking lot within the premises of Cellovila at Tebakor area.
The First Ordinary Session of Parliament yesterday morning did not proceed because there was no two -thirds majority present as required by law.
The Ministry of Health continues to receive more COVID-19 assistance from the private sector, particularly from Leon Hardware.
Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jay Ngwele, and Australia’s High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Sarah deZoeten, have signed an exchange of letters formalising Australia’s additional assistance of over 117 million vatu to support the Ministry’s response to the dual challenges of CO…
The Director of Health Services in Vanuatu, Dr Len Tarivonda, has clarified the decision for schools in Port Vila and Efate to return to homeschooling next week, is a decision by the Ministry of Education and Training.
As repatriation flights are planned for Ni-Vanuatu currently stranded overseas, the Ministry of Health (MOH) conducted a mock drill at the Port Vila International Airport yesterday on how to manage these flights.
The mandatory quarantine costs the Vanuatu Government had to meet for quarantining around 60 citizens and residents who initially returned overseas to date is approximately Vt13 million, said Acting Director of the Ministry of Health (MoH), Johnson Wabaiat.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is spreading to Pacific island countries (PICs), posing a severe threat to their economies and human security. Donors are aiding the region. For example, the United States has provided more than US$32 million to PICs. Australia announced AU$10.5 million as…
In its meeting this week to endorse the extension of the State of Emergency (SOE), the Council of Ministers (COM), agreed on other areas that needed to be addressed to facilitate services during the SOE.
The first quantity of 120 COVID-19 cartridges, is expected to arrive in Port Vila next week, from California, USA, via Brisbane in Australia.
New Zealand will provide 220 million vatu ($NZ 3 million) to support the Vanuatu Government’s COVID-19 stimulus package and help the people of Vanuatu weather the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister (PM), Bob Loughman, has confirmed that over 200 Ni-Vanuatu citizens are currently stranded overseas because of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management wish to inform all business sectors nationwide, that the Government has now established its policy directions in light of the COVID -19 pandemic, to confirm which business sectors are eligible to benefit directly from the announced Economic Sti…
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has lifted the temporary lockdown on Malekula as of Wednesday 29 April.
Commissioner of Labour, Murielle Meltenoven, has commended workers in Vanuatu and abroad for their contributions to the development of the country.
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has received VT200,000 as assistance to its operations from the Presbyterian Church in Vanuatu (PCV).
The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) and Digicel announced yesterday that the MoET website moet.gov.vu is now accessible for free to all Digicel users.
The Vila Central Hospital (VCH) and the Northern Provincial Hospital (NPH) in Santo as the country’s main referral hospitals must be fully equipped with necessary equipment to handle COVID-19 cases if there is any detection.
The national government is currently providing assistance to all its citizens stranded in different parts of the world following border lockdowns amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
The French Ambassador to Vanuatu, Pierre Fournier, said France’s assistance to the Vanuatu Government and the people in such times of double crisis like the COVID-19 and the TC Harold is a ‘Spirit of Solidarity’.
Since the closure of schools around the country as a preventative method against the COVID-19, school fee exemption was also enforced on all schools.
The Ministry for Agriculture Livestock Forestry Fishery and Biosecurity (MALFFB) has entered a Public Private Service Agreement (PPSA) with two local institutions to MASS produce seedlings which will be distributed to disaster-hit communities.
In the Pacific we aspire to endurance and sustainability. But progress is difficult to sustain when we face multiple threats that reverse decades of development gains in a matter of hours or days.
All provincial and municipal councillors can use their constituency allocation of Vt500,000 for the first and second quarter of this year as part of the responses to the COVID-19 threat and cyclone Harold in their constituencies.
MP-elect for Port Vila, Ralph Regenvanu, has stepped in to assist his voters who lost their means of earning an income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, Digicel announced that One World: Together At Home — a globally televised and streamed special in support of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — will air on Sky Pacific on Sunday, 19th April from 11am.
Australian defence officials are looking to how a plane from China held up a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft from landing in Vanuatu while carrying vital humanitarian supplies for the cyclone-struck nation.
The Government of Australia is providing a relief package of Vt310 million (AUD4 million) to support response efforts for families affected by cyclone Harold in Vanuatu.
Caretaker Minister of Meteorology, Geological Hazards and Climate Change Bruno Leingkone has issued several orders under the Disaster Risk Management Act to direct Government agencies responding to COVID-19 and Tropical Cyclone Harold.
Tannese Chief Peter Yamak has called from Australia to express utter disappointment and anger over media reports of the arrival of a Chinese plane at Port Vila International Airport, to deliver coronavirus medical equipment this week.
Twenty-six-year old Harper Lini Vanua of North Pentecost has become the first person to speak well of Coronavirus.
Concerns are being raised by the public on whether physical distancing (also called social distancing) for COVID-19 may be or not possible in school settings.
The Government has announced the appointment of a COVID-19 Advisory team to assist the National Disaster Management Office implement prevention and containment measures to respond to the COVID – 19 pandemic in the region and keep Vanuatu free of the Virus.
Dear Editor,
(This article is part 2 of Terence Woods four part series on What will COVID-19 mean for the Pacific: a problem in four parts)
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.