Fijian peacekeepers test positive for Covid-19 in Iraq

Fiji's military says some soldiers serving with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) have tested positive for Covid-19.

While it was not clear how many peacekeepers had been infected, the army confirmed tests were conducted after a soldier showed mild symptoms for the virus.

The Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) said it believed the community transmission was made at one of the UN compound's entry points, through personnel that worked at the UN mission.

The army said all affected soldiers that had tested positive via the antigen tests were currently asymptomatic.

It said UN medical staff and the Fiji contingent's own medical team were closely monitoring all RFMF personnel.

The army's headquarters in Suva said it was also keeping an eye on the situation in Iraq and was in contact with the Fijian contingent's leadership there.

Army commander Rear-Admiral Viliame Naupoto thanked the public for its support and urged Fijians to pray for their troops in Iraq.

Naupoto said the soldiers were going through a difficult but manageable situation and he urged the public to respect the privacy and dignity of the troops and their families.

Last June, more than 160 soldiers arrived home from the middle-east amid fears of a Covid-19 infection.

Naupoto had said the army was concerned after learning that some locals working with the Fijians in their Sinai camp tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Health Ministry said the 162 soldiers were held in strict quarantine in and having already produced negative results, they were tested again for the coronavirus before departure after 14 days.

The ministry said every measure was taken to ensure there was no threat to the public.

The military said all steps had been taken by the government, as well as Australia - who flew the soldiers home - and the Multinational Force and Observer Mission to minimise the soldiers' exposure.

The peacekeepers' 12-month deployment had already been prolonged because of rapid border closures in March 2020, which made repatriation difficult.

The soldiers were held in isolation for two weeks, and were released to their families after they all returned negative test results for the coronavirus.