Briefs

Family to be tested
DEPUTY chief physician for New Guinea Islands Dr Alex Maha says the family of the East New Britain man who tested positive to Covid-19 in Laos would also be tested. “We do not think he was infected in ENB and we believe very strongly that his family are not infected but because of all the stigma that is happening, we are going to test them so that everyone can see that they are negative,” Maha said.

Repatriation set
JAYAPURA-BASED consular-general Geoffrey Wiri says the foreign affairs department in Waigani is finalising the repatriation of 75 PNG prisoners along with other PNG citizens stranded in Indonesia. Wiri said he would also investigate reports that the Bolangi Narcotic Prison in Makassar City, Sulawesi Province has been infected with Covid-19, posing a risk to seven PNG prisoners held there.

Publish funds report
THE PNG Media Council has urged all state agencies involved in the management and disbursement of Covid-19 response emergency funds, to regularly publish all spending for transparency purposes. The council also urged the mainstream media newsrooms to diligently pursue these expenditure figures, and have them published and aired widely so the people would know how the funds were spent.

Firm gives rice bags
PEOPLE in Malahang, Back Road Mambu, Bumayong, Busu Mountain Nadzab and 40-Mile in Lae, Morobe received 400 10kg bags of rice from J Hera Enterprise Ltd (JHEL). Most of the ones that JHEL identified and gave the bags of rice to were elderly, widow or widower and other unfortunate members of the communities.

Cops to step up ops
MOROBE police commander Supt Alex N’Drasal says police will step-up its operations in doing checks at its provincial borders with West New Britain, Madang, Northern, Central, Gulf and Eastern Highlands. Supt N’Drasal said some of these locations were isolated and they needed funds and logistics to deploy policemen to the areas.

Economic recession
EAST Sepik Governor Allan Bird says that the biggest threat facing the country is an economic recession and not Covid-19. “Soon government will also face a cash crisis because we were already in crisis.”