Coronavirus warning

The National Main Stories
James Marape

POLICE have warned the people that they will enforce the National Pandemic Act to stop any public gathering of more than 20 people, as the Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases continue to increase.
In addition, Prime Minister James Marape is again appealing to citizens yet to get vaccinated to do so quickly to help their bodies fight the Covid-19 better.
National Capital District (NCD) acting Met Supt Chris Tamari warned those wanting to hold a gathering in Port Moresby tomorrow over the “no jab, no job” policy that “any gathering of more than 20 people will come under the National Pandemic Controller’s jurisdiction”.
He said the NCD peace and order committee including the police had discussed the request for a permit to hold a public gathering at the Unagi Oval tomorrow.
Any public event which would attract more than 20 people, if allowed, would be a Covid-19 super-spreader event, he said.
He also said the Covid-19 vaccination was not mandatory.
“Employment is a privilege and not a right. All citizens have their individual rights, but these rights do not override the community’s rights at large,” he said.
“Employers imposing vaccination as a condition of employment do not breach the discriminatory practice under the Discriminatory Practices Act 1963.”
According to the statistics released last Thursday by the National Control Centre, most of those vaccinated so far were from Port Moresby.
Western, Jiwaka and Manus were between 10 and 20 per cent. The rest of the provinces were below 10 per cent. Southern Highlands was the lowest at 1.2 per cent.
Marape urged Papua New Guineans to get the jab.
“The vaccines are not 100 per cent preventative, but they do boost your immune system so you can better fight the virus when you contract it,” he said. “This is better than nothing, or going bare against the virus, considering our way of life of communal living – gatherings at home, in churches or out in the public such as market places or at haus krai.
“This makes it extremely easy as a transmissible environment for the Covid-19.”