Page 13 - IB January 2022

Outlook Outlook

JUGGLING ACT

PRIORITIES QUESTIONED AS COVID REACHES
SOLOMONS SHORES

By Georgina Kekea

Solomon Islands was COVID-19 free until De-
cember 2021. Despite recording positive cases
in isolation centres, the spread to the com-
munity was avoided. It was not until January
2022 that Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare
announced the country’s first case of commu-
nity transmission.
Despite the government’s efforts to keep the
virus from spreading in communities, the il-
legal movement of people between Papua New
Guinea and Solomon Islands finally exposed
these communities to COVID-19, as had long
been feared. With the dilapidated state of its
clinics and hospitals, 2022 will see the health
system crack if the virus spreads widely. Solo-
mon Islands is bracing for the worst.
Only 20% of the country’s population are
fully vaccinated despite the government’s
efforts. With the news of community transmis-
sion, people are now queuing at the vaccina-
tion tents to get their first jab.
This situation will greatly affect the much-
anticipated work associated with the 2023 Pa-
cific Games. Solomon Islands has less than two
years to prepare for its hosting duties. While
work on the facilities is progressing well, the
Ash from the Tongan eruption as photographed by astronauts on the International Space Station.
administrative preparation is also important at
this point in time.
The government will need at least 200 more
administrative workers to fill in the gap. The
question now is whether it will be able to
afford this, given there is community trans- Honiara’s Chinatown burns Photos: Kaylab Fari
mission and the health system will need to
respond. Which will be the government’s priority: the health recovery. Vulnerabilities are exacerbated by a weaker fiscal
sector or the 2023 Pacific Games? position, owing largely to the impact of the pandemic on
The government really needs to be strategic in how they revenues and expenditures. Solomon Islands remain vulner-
plan out their work in order to achieve its goal for the 2023 able to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters,”
Games and simultaneously address the issue of COVID-19 with the IMF stated.
the very limited resources they have. While lockdowns are In addition to COVID-19 impacts, the riot and protests of
important to restrict the movement of people and limit the November 2021 have also weakened the Solomon Islands
spread of the virus, there has to be a way to ensure economic economy, prompting the Central Bank of Solomon Islands
activities also thrive, even during lockdowns. (CBSI) to reverse its positive forecast of 0.4% growth. It says
In an economic sense, the outlook for Solomon Islands is the economy will instead contract by 0.6% in 2021.
very grim. “The extent of the adverse impact on the economy is
In November 2021, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) re- extensive and estimated to have reached SI$534 million
port said the main risk for Solomon Islands is the community (US$65.5 million), up from the SI$227 million initially esti-
transmission of COVID-19 given the low vaccination rate and mated,” the Bank stated.
the weaknesses in health infrastructure. It said 63 buildings had been burnt or looted, and that some
“Delays to border reopening pose a risk to the economic Continued on page 15

Islands Business, January 2022 13