Police advise people not to cross borders

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
BORDER agencies in Western are urging people with traditional border crossing permits not to enter Australia and Indonesia after receiving reports of coronavirus cases in Cairns and Sumatra, South Fly police commander Supt Brian Kombe says.
“We have received reports that four victims have been admitted at the Cairns Hospital,” he said.
“And Cairns city in far North Queensland has a big population of people from South Fly and the Torres Strait Islands.”
Supt Kombe said the Torres Strait islanders in Far North Queensland have family in villages in the South Fly district.
“If just one infected person crosses the Australia-PNG maritime border and returns, Daru will be affected as the hospital here is still struggling to contain diseases like tuberculosis, leprosy, cholera and typhoid.
“We have also received reports that five Indonesians have tested positive of coronavirus in Sumatra city and advised villagers not to cross the PNG-Indonesian border to go into Merauke city and Sota town in the Indonesian side.”
Supt Kombe said border agencies like Customs, PNG Defence Force and Police had to take the lead in awareness after being informed by the Western health authority that they had no funds to carry out awareness.
“We (police) have to use our own funds and logistics to conduct awareness in the district.”