Opinion: COVID-19, the Western Front and Stealing Thunder

Ration distribution in Fiji's western division
Ration distribution in Fiji's western division

By Dennis Rounds

Faced with a second COVID-19 lockdown, just 12 months after the first, I’ve convinced myself that I now have a better understanding of the term “Western Front”.

During the First World War, a large slice of Europe was designated the Western Front. The term referred to what was, essentially, the main “theatre of war”.

In the latter half of April, Fiji’s health authorities “locked down” the pre-COVID booming tourism town, Nadi, and the sugar-producing city of Lautoka.

Those of us living in the two municipalities were faced with closure of non-essential businesses, limited public transportation and repeated calls to “stay home”, practice . . .

Share article:

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

Related Stories

IB March 2022 Fiji cover
2022

Whispers

Samoan style Samoa’s former PM, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has been found guilty of contempt of

Working from home
2022

Teleworking realities

The COVID-19 has been dubbed the “great accelerator,” as it brought an enormous shift to digital around the world. Schools and learning went online, video conference participation rose dramatically, medical services were delivered over the phone and Internet, and businesses struggling to implement their digital strategy took the leap, simply because they had no other choice.