THE National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) are scaling down their COVID-19 operations from “Full-On-Activation Mode” to “Standby Mode” as of 04th of July 2022 following the announcement made by the Prime Minister, Honorable Manasseh Sogavare on the revocation of all the COVID-19 restrictions including the revocation of the institutional quarantine and the reopening of international borders on the 1st of July 2022.
Deputy Director and the head of NEOC Operations Mr. George Baragamu stated that since 26th March 2020, the NEOC was activated on the “Full-On-Activation Mode” to provide support to the National Disaster Operations Committee (N-DOC) under the National Disaster Council (NDC) Arrangements, providing support to national and provincial sector responses on coordination and implementation of COVID-19 Operations as part of the Government’s overall response mechanism under the country’s disaster management coordination arrangements.
Mr. Baragamu further explain that the operational scale down to “Standby Mode” a lower level of alert which means that NEOC’s active responses are no longer required and will now be shifting its focus towards closing formalities and standing down of the NEOC and the Provincial Emergency Operation Centres (PEOCs) at the end of the State of Public Health Emergency on 24th July 2022.
The NEOC’s head of operation also stated that as a tradition and important requirement to properly document the country’s experiences in response to COVID-19 and explore the many valuable lessons that can inform future pandemic response, the NDC through the NDMO is organizing the Lessons Learnt Workshop (LLW) later this month. The Lessons Learnt Workshops are expected to bring together Solomon Islands Island Government, Private Sectors, and other partners who are involved in the COVID-19 Operations to participate and formally debrief on the lessons and provide recommendations from the COVID-19 response to the Government through the NDC. The LLW will capture what was learned by Government Ministries and organizations that have a direct role in coordinating, managing, and providing support and what can be brought forward as recommendations to improve future responses of similar nature and magnitude.
The NEOC acknowledges all the National and Provincial Governments, Sector Agencies, the Oversight Committee, NDC, N-DOC, PDC, P-DOC, Donors, Private Sector Organisations, Religious Organisations, Communities, all the individuals frontline responders, and all those that have greatly contributed and supported the COVID-19 response operation in the last 27 months.
SOURCE: NDMO PRESS.