Lockdown imposed in areas visited by ninth Covid-19 victim, says Marape

By REBECCA KUKU
PRIME Minister James Marape says a lockdown will be effected in areas of Port Moresby where the Australian soldier, the ninth positive Covid-19 case, had been.
Marape said the areas included the Murray Barracks, parts of the Australian High Commission and a village in Central where he had gone fishing recently.
“This is one of the benefits of the National Pandemic Act 2020 recently passed in Parliament – instead of (having to order) a state of emergency and locking down the city,” he said.
“The controller has the powers to go in and lock down the hotspot or the area where the case had been to – you can refer to it as a localised lockdown.”
The ninth case, an officer of the Australian Defence Force, was confirmed last Saturday – 58 days after the eighth case was reported in the Eastern Highlands.
Marape said the localised lockdown was now in effect.
More than 350 samples had been collected from the Murray Barracks for testing as part of the contact tracing process.
The officer remains in isolation in Port Moresby.
Meanwhile, Marape said he had been advised to minimise his “exposure” to the public.
“Office meetings will also be stopped for the next couple of weeks. We will try to change the way we do things and implement a new normal,” he said.
“I will not be able to attend many public conferences or events.
“I call on the people for your understanding during this time.
“We will work out a new normal of doing things.”