After opening its borders to receive its first overseas flight in 10 months, and having remained free of the Corona epidemic since its emergence, Kiribati, a country made up of a group of islands, suffered a major setback, which came with dozens of cases of HIV.

The authorities revealed that 35 Corona sufferers were on a passenger plane that arrived from Fiji, with 54 passengers on board, i.e. more than two thirds of the passengers were sick.

The authorities explained that all passengers are now being quarantined and recovering well.

A security guard at the quarantine centre was also detected infected with the virus, prompting the State to impose a two-week curfew and other public health measures such as the wearing of mandatory masks, social separation and vaccination permits to travel outside the capital, Tarawa.

The security guard and two of their conspirators were directly quarantined, while his village was placed on lockdown for two weeks.

Two other positive cases have been discovered, prompting the Government to announce the start of a complete closure, with schools closed and only people allowed to leave their homes for basic services.

News of the arrivals of Covid 19 and the security guard caused panic among the local population, especially since they were leaked to the public rather than officially announced.

Last month, the Kiribati government said that 93.4 percent of the population aged 18 or over received their first dose of the Corona vaccine, but only 53.1 percent received a second dose.

The Republic of Kiribati is reported to be an archipelago in the tropical Middle Pacific, consisting of 32 atolls and an island of high coral, spread over more than 3.5 million square kilometres on both sides of the equator.