East New Britain businesses not affected by quakes

 BUSINESSES in East New Britain are not being seriously affected by the recent earthquakes, provincial commerce division adviser Henry Tavul says.

He said although some businesses suffered minor damage it was business as usual for the others.

Last week saw a series of earthquakes in the region that affected power services in the province and resulted in the damage of 

the Warangoi Bridge in Pomio district.

“Obviously bigger shops in the town had damages to the buildings as results of the quakes which have been witnessed however they were not really major,” Tavul said. “With continuous quakes we would expect a different outcome but these types of events occur frequently and most of the business community and locals here have become accustomed to it.

“I think only new businesses that have setup just recently in the province would shut down business for that.

He added that they did not expect to see a decline in any tourism activities in the province in the weeks to come.

“I think this quake can work both ways, where it can be a deterrent to visiting tourists, but then again it can be an attraction. There are tourists who would love to experience these natural events first hand and I think that is a good thing.

“In saying that, quakes that measure below 5 or 6 on the Richter scale would mean normal business as usual for the province,” he said.