5 new cases
By REBECCA KUKU
THE country has five new confirmed Covid-19 cases, including three from Western, according to Prime Minister James Marape.
The five are:
- a 12-year-old boy from Western;
- a 30-year-old man from Western;
- a woman (age unknown) from Western;
- a 42-year-old woman from Port Moresby;
- a 37-year-old man from East New Britain.
State of Emergency Controller David Manning yesterday imposed a daily curfew from 8pm to 6am daily over the next two weeks for the National Capital District, Central and Western.
The five cases bring to seven the number of people tested positive in the country so far.
The first, a 40-year-old expatriate, had arrived from Spain on March 14. He has returned home. And the second is a female health worker in East New Britain who is awaiting the result of her third test.
Marape said the five new cases were “well and under observation and in quarantine”.
“The samples were sent to the PNG Medical Research Institute for testing and after numerous tests, five have been confirmed as Covid-19 positive,” Marape said.
He said the three from Western were traditional border crossers.
“(They) have been crossing from PNG to West Papua in Indonesia,” Marape said.
Yesterday, 22 cartons of assorted personal protective equipment were sent to Western.
“The rapid response teams are already in Western initiating contact tracing,” he said.
In Port Moresby, the person tested positive is member of the Joint Agency Task Force. She has been isolated and quarantined.
“We have begun contact tracing as well,” Marape said.
“As has been in previous cases, we have locked down the Joint Agency Task Force National Operations Centre to carry out testing on all staff as part of the standard operating procedures.”
He said the two cases in East New Britain were being monitored by the ENB Provincial Health Authority.
The cases in Western and ENB also require home quarantine.
“For this I must thank the community and their leaders for supporting the Government in ensuring that this quarantine is adhered to,” he said.
Marape also called on the people to remain calm.
“Stop worrying and start seriously practising health messages we have been advocating,” he said.
“If you faithfully observe these instructions you will protect yourself and your family and stop the spread of Covid-19.”
Meanwhile everyone who has been to the national operations command centre at Mourata Haus in Port Moresby are expected to be tested. It includes security personnel, volunteers and the members of the media.
Yesterday some people from the operations centre were at the Covid-19 isolation facility at the Rita Flynn Complex at East Boroko.
It could not be confirmed if Marape had already been tested too with his ministers who conduct media briefings there daily.
23 comments
The boarders were not strict now we have 5 new cases in PNG , wait and see the number will increase rapidly if people don’t care and practice health message.
Lets all pray and take action by practicing health message given by WHO.
We are people of God and with true faith in GOD, those 5 cases will be cleared.
Borders everywhere all over the world are very hard to police. PNG with limited resources, little to no technology and non existence infrastructure coupled with illiterate and ignorant people living along the border, well what do you expect. It is already happening, its just a matter of time before we get an explosion. Howver haing said that if they continue to remain on traditional land in the jungle, we may be fine. MAYBE!!!
Social Distancing has not been strictly practiced! This could be the single most factor which had influenced the spread of the virus. Allowing of citizens in public to travel domestically ought to be restricted AGAIN! While we keep conversing with our God for protection and healing, we MUST ALL PRACTICE THE STRICTLY HEALTH COVID.19 MEASURES!
Don’t foolishly ignore by saying we are a Christian country. The country will not safe your life. It is your quality relationship with God that will save you from the prophesied dangers in the bible.
Very true, 2Timothy 3:5
How can the government controll the spread of covid-19 in Western. They have’nt controlled the spread of TB yet in Western.
The villagers of the 3 border villages in Western are confused who these suspects are!! They are saying there were only two teams that came to the villages: 1. THE AWARENESS TEAM,2. THE COVID TASK FORCE TEAM(MILITARY PERSONNELS). When did these two teams carried out Testing, is a big question and who are these suspects and where are they right now?
The media should come clear on this and clear the atmosphere.
Exactly. We need to take the lock down strategies seriously. The strategies are from the Govt. therefore we must use our God given sense to abide by them to prevent the virus from spreading. Our God is using the govt to put up the restrictions. What more do we expect from Him? Miracle?
We PNGans are people of GOD so these new 5x cases will becoming Negative after couple of test.
We need to pray alot and our GOD father will help out of this unwanted sickness.
We are a nation that trust in the living God and we are always praying, however, we must also listen to the instructions laid by the Authorities of this Nation. That is the wisdom of God. We must not be careless and foolish. We must also pray for the Prime Minister and his team, the nurses and doctors for God’s divine protection.
Concerning the school it will resume on the 27 April yet with this 5 new confirme case which are not been solve, so is the life important or school is important during this current situation.???
Controller ,Manning,,please lock our borders down.
where did those western people get that virus,west sepik or east sepik and how did they cross the border while the lock down and the military personal are there?see it all happen when we still hold on to wantok system.so lets turn that wantok system to mi no save lo you system to keep our country safe from the virus,please we need to co operate with each other and follow the instaction that comes from the PM and the WHO to be safe.if its a lock down then no body or pigs or dogs any other living things not to move around.!!
Just wondering. Why have all these cases popped up suddenly after 21 days of lock-down. even having had no contact with international travelers coming in, perhaps with the exception of Western Province cases. If the virus was present in these people, they would have manifested earlier on, during the 14 day incubation period? Could it be that the test for detecting COVID-19 antibodies, is actually detecting the presence antibodies of common cold virus, since common cold virus and Covid-19 and all in the family of Corona viruses. I am suggesting this because its hard to believe people with flu symptoms, who have never traveled out, or came into contact with people from other countries are suddenly being tested positive
I wonder how did the women in Port Moresby, working in Morata Haus had been infected? Had she been travelling overseas and got this virus or it is a locally grown infection?. Can the health department show us the proof of her test result or it was just a game plan for some intellectuals to gain access to COVID19 funds..
Accept the fact the virus will weed out unwanted people from the Government to the Grassroots! Exciting times in the Bible Believing people of PNG as our prayers last 40yrs to see change for the better just starting. Watch as it passes from the nation capital to the rest of the country. Never before an exciting time than today in PNG!
Those travelling in to the provinces from affected provinces must be tested to ensure they are not carrying the virus. It is obvious most of the recent cases are found in Western Province which is a border province. To prevent infected people from West Papua (Irian Jaya) from crossing over to PNG, the military and police are deployed along the border but cannot not adequately cover big distance. It will require relatives on our side of the boarder to tell them to remain on the other until the situation returns to normal. Otherwise they will be the first people affected.
Very shortly, we’ll receive another c19 report from Utong _and all of Sandaun Province.
Boarders should closely be monitored.
It all will be taken care of, I believe in our Government and medical team. Please guys lets not blame each other but help each other to fight this deadly virus. Lets all put our full support to our field workers out their especial our controller’s who are doing a fine job. The most important thing is to listen!!!! Please listen, harem tok bona kamonai.
I suggest that the government should extend the S.O.E for the rest this year because those people who have tested positive should have spread out the disease to a quiet number of other people.
I’d like to follow up on the plan P.M Marape has announced about youths to join in assistance with the military during this covid19 pandemic. Please keep me updated on this. Thank you.
I would like to strongly encourage all the Christians or non Christians to pray to God for His divine forgiveness. With God everything is possible.He is our creator and He loves us very much. He sent His only son Jesus to die for us.His very precious blood set us free from our sinful Ness. During this very crucial SOE and lock down as declared by our Govt of PNG. We sit down and pray so that our country can be free from covid_19.
Comments are closed.