Restrictions in place to keep PNG safe
State of Emergency restrictions remain in place to ensure that we keep all Papua New Guineans safe from the spread of COVID 19.
I thank all people for their cooperation and for abiding by the restrictions and ask for your patience and understanding whilst we fight against this threat.
All restrictions are reviewed daily to ensure that we have the balance right between the health and safety of our people and establishing the ‘new normal’ for business and services to operate.
I urge all people to understand that what we have done in the past might not be the way things are done now.
Protocols are being developed for business, schools and government departments to operate within this environment. As previously announced schools will be opening on Monday 27 April.
We must all change to keep our country safe from COVID 19.
I am working with Immigration to have international flights returning on a limited capacity from mid next week.
The Joint Agency Task Force through the National Operations Centre continues to undertake COVID 19 tests and currently there are 155 samples undertaking PCR testing today in Goroka and 800 samples will be transferred to Brisbane for testing today.
The 7 positive case samples have also been sent to the reference laboratory in Australia as per WHO recommendations.
The National Operations Centre continues to operate with all essential staff tested and core staff remaining. The health and safety of staff within the NOC is a priority with sanitisation protocols in place.
I remind people that COVID 19 virus has a limited infectious period. This graph represents the infectious period that will be detectable when tested against a time line. It is expected that all cases will become negative within 14- 21 days.
RRT Teams with Police and PNGDF continue to operate on the Western Border, Port Moresby and East New Britain focusing on the contact tracing for the previous positive cases. In relation to the Port Moresby case, contact tracing on all family members and work colleagues has been completed. All household members have returned negative.
The NOC is monitoring respiratory infections and flu like symptoms that are around the provinces to inform testing strategies.
I remind all people to practice good hygiene in your homes and work places.
- 90 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday March 13 – PNG total increases to 2,173 - March 15, 2021
- Government has not approved any vaccine trials in PNG - August 21, 2020
- Speech by David Manning at the Commissioner’s Parade - July 3, 2020
