Curfew set: 2pm to 6am

By ZACHERY PER
ESSENTIAL service providers will be allowed at respective locations during a 14-day lockdown in Eastern Highlands, provincial police commander Supt Michael Welly says.
The two-week lockdown is accompanied by a 2pm-6am curfew effective from Tuesday (this week) to Oct 26, with government offices and schools locked up except for examination classes – grades 8, 10 and 12.
Essential services that would remain in operation include service stations, hospitals, clinics, health workers, ambulance service, police and fire stations.
Supt Welly said special travel passes had been (or would be) issued to the essential service providers.
He said the lockdown/curfew was necessary to arrest the rapid spread of the killer Coronavirus (Covid-19) Delta variant in the province, particularly in rural areas.
The Covid-19 Delta variant thrived when people moved around unnecessarily, he said.
Supt Welly said everyone’s understanding, cooperation and support were needed to slow down the pandemic.
The curfew will end on Oct 26 for review.
If there is improvement, the curfew or lockdown will have served its purpose.
If there is no improvement, they will take other measures to fight the virus, Supt Welly said.
Meanwhile, he urged the public not to turn up at the police station for petty crimes but to use community leaders to resolve the issues.
“We do not want to see people crowding at the police station for minor offences because Covid 19 spreads easily where there is a crowd,” Supt Welly said.
“As we are also down with police manpower; we will only attend to very serious crimes such as murder or rape.”
Supt Welly said two of his officers died of the Covid-19.
The Goroka Hospital morgue is full to capacity of bodies of those who died from the Covid-19 and families and relatives cannot give them a proper farewell. Rural areas are experiencing deaths like never before, villagers said.