Call for help if you have health issue

By LULU MARK
A DOCTOR has advised people to call the mental health hotline 79074944 if they are stressed or need to talk to someone about overbearing circumstances related to Covid-19.
Dr Uma Ambi, the acting director of the social change and mental health service directorate, said circumstances brought about by the pandemic could be stressful for many. And they should seek help which they need and deserve.
The hotline is open from 8.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday.
“We have people who will talk to you to help you,” she said.
She said maintaining good mental health would see people through the difficult days.
She said the way information was accessed could affect people’s mental health which in turn would have an impact on the way they did things. She warns people to be careful.
“The sudden and constant stream of news reports about an outbreak can cause anyone to feel worried. Get the facts,” Ambi said.
“We must avoid watching, reading or listening to news that cause you to feel anxious or distressed.
“Seek information updates at specific times during the day, once or twice. Gather information at regular intervals.
“Seek information mainly to take practical steps to prepare your plans and protect yourself and loved ones.”
Ambi urged people to help those who could be having a difficult time.
“This is a time to protect ourselves and be supportive to others. It is a time to give a hand,” she said.

Police interested in face masks made locally

A LOCAL businesswoman is producing reusable face masks in Port Moresby, which police are interested in using to address the supply shortage.
Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Wagambie Jr, the commander for Central and National Capital District, visited Joie’s Tailoring Limited at Gordon last Saturday to talk to its director Janet Sios.
Wagambie is looking for reusable face masks for the constabulary. He tried out one.
Sios said the company was prepared to support frontline workers with resources to protect themselves and their families.
“We need to do all we can to help those brave citizens who are taking up the fight to ensure that we contain the spread of this dreadful virus,” she said.
Joie’s Tailoring Limited plans to donate 500 reusable face masks to police. It became a locally-owned company on Jan 1, 2020.

Operation centre inlock down

By Rebecca Kuku in Quarantine
THE National Command and Control Center is in lockdown and employees placed in quarantine as they await their test results.
The centre’s security was breached after contact tracing revealed that a woman with Covid-19 had visited the centre several times last week. Police Minister Bryan Kramer said the woman was an airport customs and quarantine officer with the National Agriculture and Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) stationed at the Jackson airport.
“Two officers were tested as persons of interest having worked at the airport and coming into contact with international passengers,” Kramer said.
“It was discovered that the officer had visited the operation centre at Morauta Haus a number of times last week.”
State of Emergency Controller David Manning ordered that the centre be closed and samples taken from all staff and around 30 journalists who had been covering the Covid-19 briefings.
Prime Minister James Marape and Kramer also had their samples taken for testing. The samples were taken to Brisbane on Friday.
“Government is also ramping up testing along the border provinces as well as East New Britain and the contact tracing of the case in NCD,” Kramer said.
“Samples collected will be sent to Brisbane daily for testing due to the low stock of test kits locally.”

I love my job, but never want to put family at risk

By Rebecca Kuku (in quarantine at a Port Moresby hotel)
ON Friday morning, as I sat in line waiting for my sample to be taken, I was filled with so much rage.
All I could think of was that I had been hugging my babies and kissing them every morning before leaving for work, and every night after returning from work.
I looked around me, and there was so many people waiting in line, some looking worried, others confused while many such as me were just angry.
The only question on my mind was how can a person under investigation who had her samples taken was not put into quarantine. Why was she allowed back into the National Covid-19 Operation Center?
The place was quiet. Everyone lost in their own thoughts.
I thought back to when it all started last December. News broke when the PNG students in Wuhan, China called for help to return home.
A group of five reporters, all female, decided to follow up on that appeal. We pushed ministers and secretaries to bring home the students. We celebrated the day the students landed at Jackson airport.
But the number of countries infected with Covid-19 started growing. It soon reached the Pacific and our neighbors Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.
Then PNG recorded its first case, and then a second.
We spent every day at the national operations center reporting about Covid-19 – what it was, how it spread, how it was affecting not only the health of the people but also the economy.
Little did we know that we would soon be in the queue ourselves to have our samples taken, and be identified as persons of interest and quarantined.
But if I was asked to do it all over again, I would. I recalled what Robert Fisk once said: “It’s a journalist’s job to be a witness to history. We’re not there to worry about ourselves. We’re there to try and get as near as we can, in an imperfect world, to the truth and get the truth out.”
Joining that queue, I did not care much about me. All I thought of was my family. I had put them at risk of contracting Covid-19.
I chose this path, and I love my job. And when I come out of quarantine, I will go back out there and report on Covid-19. But just as long as my family is safe.
When my turn came to be tested, I saw two booths set up, with two stations each. At the first booth, I sat in one of the stations and answered questions about myself. They filled in a form with my details and told me to go to the next booth. I was told to sit sideways and lean back and relax. Then the nurse/doctor pushed a long cotton bud through my nose. It was stingy. I felt like vomiting.
Then I went into quarantine to await my test result.
It was not as painful as I thought it would be.
As I sit here in quarantine writing this, I know we will all be fine. I do not know how long I will be here. Maybe until the test result is known.
But one thing is for sure, we will all be working while in quarantine. And when we are released, we will again be chasing the next headline again.

Man frustrated over missed domestic flight

A MAN told of the frustration of not being able to fly home to Lae from Port Moresby to bury a relative because of the ban on domestic flights last Thursday.
Mathew Dadek, who works at Port Moresby International School, told The National that his flight with PNG Air was confirmed for Friday, but was moved to Saturday.
“I cannot go because I was advised that flights will stop on Monday and I have to work,” he said last Saturday. The body of the relative was flown to Lae by Air Niugini on Friday.
“We booked Air Niugini to fly the body with one family member while the rest of us booked PNG Air on the same day.”
Dadek said family members managed to catch a 2pm PNG Air flight to Nadzab on Saturday.
Air Niugini and PNG Air allowed flights over the weekend for passengers whose bookings were confirmed prior to the ban announced on Thursday.
Air Niugini acting chief executive officer Bruce Alabaster confirmed with The National on Friday that the emergency controller (David Manning) approved flights on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Marape: 125 samples all tested negative

Prime Minister James Marape says 125 Covid-19 samples taken last Thursday have negative test results.
The 125 samples collected included one from Manus, three from Gulf and 121 from the National Capital District, Marape said in a statement.
The 12 samples taken from East New Britain also returned negative.
The samples taken in Port Moresby included one from himself, one each from Minister for Health and HIV/Aids Jelta Wong, Police Minister Bryan Kramer, State of Emergency Controller and Police Commissioner David Manning and Acting Health Secretary Dr Paison Dakulala.
“Over 300 samples collected on Friday including five from members of the family of the first NCD case which will be sent to Brisbane for testing,” Marape said.
Marape appealed to the people to remain calm and stay at home to allow the Joint Agency Task Force to continue contact tracing.
He called on the people for their understanding and cooperation during the state of emergency period.
“PNG’s health system cannot cope should we experience an outbreak.
“That is why the Controller has issued various directives aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19.
“It is in PNG. That is a fact. We now need to stop it from spreading.”
Marape urged the people to practise guidelines such as limiting the number of passengers on public transport, banning travelling in and out of border provinces and provinces with confirmed cases.