Briefs

Donation made
TOTAL E&P PNG Ltd has donated 10,000 rapid kits, 10,000 face masks and 150litres of sanitising gel to the Joint Advisory Task Committee on Covid-19. Managing director, Jean-Marc Noiray said the firm was committed as a good neighbour in PNG.

Efforts commended
Health Minister and Gazelle MP Jelta Wong has commended the efforts by East New Britain government to establish quarantine and treatment facilities in the province. He officiated at the recent opening of the two buildings with a total cost of K700,000 at Butuwin in Kokopo district.

Choice given
PARENTS of students attending Rebiamul Primary School in Western Highlands have been asked to decide whether they want to withdraw their children or allow them to continue their education this year due to Covid-19. Board chairman Simon Kama yesterday said the school would provide all the necessities excluding the face masks.

Biscuits donated
LAE Biscuit Company donated 200 cartons of biscuits to Correctional Service and police in Madang yesterday. Madang police commander acting Supt Mazuc Rubiang thanked the firm, adding that it was a timely gesture given the ongoing Covid-19 operations in the province.

Work to resume
Public servants in East New Britain were expected to have started work on Monday under “new normal” arrangements. This was according to the SOE controller and provincial administrator Wilson Matava while thanking the people for adhering to Covid-19 instructions and staying at home throughout the period.

Activities to restart
THE Papua New Guinea Cancer Foundation has rescheduled all its outreach programmes and campaign activities to restart after next month, official says. Executive manager Priscillar Napoleon said the foundation would continue to observe the state of emergency directives of the Government by working remotely for the remainder of the extension.

Follow instruction
SECONDARY and high schools in Morobe are urged to follow instructions from the Department of Education and blend in their own strategies that they have in place in fighting Covid-19. Secondary and high schools principals’ chairman and Lae Secondary School principal Christopher Raymond said protocols were there but they varied from school to school, depending on its own situations faced.

Assurance given
Bangladesh Business Association in Port Moresby assures that it will work closely with the country in its fight against the coronavirus. Two weeks ago, the association donated K150,000 to the state of emergency controller.

Debate on betel nuts
A Community leader and boat operator Rodney Dadada claims that people ferrying betel nuts between Northern and Morobe provinces had become victims to police at checkpoints. But, Northern police commander Supt Michael Welly said betel nuts were a banned commodity and police at the border operation were enforcing restrictions imposed by the controller.

Efforts praised
The Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council (CIMC) of PNG is praising the Government for its effective management of the Covid-19 crisis so far through the multi-agency task force and other measures. The council said the measures put in place by Government to contain Covid-19 had yielded positive results with no deaths recorded since the first case in the country was declared on March 13.

Community plans
Ward 2 community of the Motu-Koita LLG in Port Moresby has a plan to ensure food, when given to the churches, is evenly and effectively distributed to the people who are really in need. According to the Vai Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church pastor Joseph Molu: “We have identified 8,600 people out of the 12,000 population in Motu-Koita Ward 2 to be really needing food supplies, the most affected are vendors, the unemployed and those laid off.”

No mask, no school
Parents of students attending Erap Primary School in Morobe recently agreed to not let their children attend classes if the school could not provide masks. According to the school’s board chairman Richard N’gahan, many parents lived in villages and did not have personnel protective equipment, including masks, available.

Parents undecided
WITH the government allowing schools around the country to resume this week, parents are not ready to send their children to school. One of the many requirements for a student to attend class is to have a face mask while in the school boundary.