1,300 sewn face masks given to church members

OVER 1,000 sewn face masks were distributed to members of Dirima Catholic parish in Gumine, Chimbu, last Sunday.
Sewing face masks was the initiative of parish priest Fr Peter Kim and the parish council to protect the community from the Covid-19 and prevent its spread in the Dirima-Yani area which has more than 9,000 people.
Fr Kim, a member of the Society of the Divine Word, with parish council chairman Peter Maima, thanked the volunteers who took two weeks to make the masks – 1,300 masks were given to members of the congregation.
The parish took the initiative as the province has a total of 113 recorded cases of the Covid-19 as of last week. A local from Dirima, Ennio Kuble, helped create awareness for action to be taken at the community level due to a lack of action from authorities.
He said other churches could do the same for their congregation in the area’s five wards.
Kuble said wearing face masks in public areas was one of the three Government-approved health and safety measures.
He said social distancing and regular hand-washing was also being promoted in the community.
“A proactive response from leaders in the communities will ensure all schools in Dirima-Yani area are protected against the Covid-19 and ensure a smooth flow of the academic year,” he said.