Follow orders to contain Covid-19

TODAY is day 10 of the state of emergency imposed by the Government in its effort to have an isolation strategy so authorities can pinpoint if the virus is present in Papua New Guinea after the first breach of security.
The first reported case (imported) was flown back to his country of origin and underwent further medical test.
He is reported to have recovered and is now in self-isolation at his home and will be tested again after 10-days.
He was initially put in isolation at a hospital.
Contact tracing is said to have started and all people who came into contact with the man who tested positive for coronavirus this month have negative test results.
The issuing of the first five emergency orders for the state of emergency nationwide by the controller and Police Commissioner David Manning yesterday now gives weight to those tasked to enforcing them.
The challenge now for the controller and the Government is ensuring the general public adheres to the orders.
The one concerned area for many since day one of the SOE is the conduct of social events in the country.
Reports out from Port Moresby and Lae indicate there are people not following simple rules such as social distancing imposed during the SOE for the sake of their health and safety.
From observation, one can see that people continue to leave their homes unnecessarily and congregating in large groups despite being told to restrict ones movement.
As much as many people feel irritated and annoyed with the 14-day SOE, Covid-19 respects no national borders, no social bounds, no political systems and no cultural values.
The whole is affected by this pandemic and PNG is no exception.
Our trading partners are hard hit and the effect is already felt in the country.
It hits us just as hard, it levels the world.
From the World Health Organisation, people can catch Covid-19 from others who have the virus.
The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with Covid-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets land on objects and surfaces around the person.
People can also catch Covid-19 if they breathe in droplets from a person with Covid-19 who coughs out or exhales droplets.
Many countries in the world are working on putting a stop to the spread of the virus which is through breaking the cycle by human intervention.
Many said it was punishing, draconian and hostile but they implemented lockdown.
We have people already complaining but it is better to be safe than sorry.
PNG does not have the capacity to deal with this virus if there is an outbreak, to help our health system, it is better to take protective measures – washing hands frequently, maintain social distancing, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth and practice respiratory hygiene.
The rapidly increasing demands of the pandemic is already threatening our health systems.
If the Government says, it is a 14-day lockdown on all non-essential services and for the citizen to restrict their movement including gathering in masses or traveling, let’s do it.
But the most important we should not forget is in times of crises, accurate information is important if we are to maintain order and for people to remain calm.
When there is no information flowing, people will be susceptible to rumours and that does not help anyone.
What our people need right now is accurate, consistent and regular information.