Konga’s call to ban vessels refused

GAZELLE MP and Health and HIV-AIDS Minister Jelta Wong has refused to support the call by East New Britain Governor Nakikus Konga to declare a temporary ban on all foreign vessels wishing to be cleared at Rabaul.
Konga had written to Wong’s office on Feb 4 and the minister said in a letter to the governor that while he understood the governor’s concerns he could not support a ban.
Wong said there were a number of issues Nakikus needed to consider before implementing any significant restrictions or bans.
This included the level of risk presented by the disease, the potential impact of travel bans on PNG and other countries, and financial implications to the national economy, which State Enterprises Minister Sasindran Muthuvel had estimated could cost the country K30 million in lost revenue and business a day.
While the World Health Organisation risk assessment of the coronavirus (Covid-19) was very high in China and high regionally and globally, Wong said the country had not reported any cases of the disease.