Second case confirmed

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James Marape

By REBECCA KUKU
A SECOND case of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country has been confirmed in East New Britain, forcing a 21-day isolation period for the province to allow contact tracing.
Prime Minister James Marape said the patient was a 40-year-old woman from a village in the Kokopo district.
“Let me reassure the nation that we are doing everything we can to contain the confirmed case,” he said.
“We already have systems in place that are now activated. A rapid response team will be deployed to the province and the entire village where she is from will be locked down as we trace her steps and check if there was transmission.”
Marape said the woman was initially identified as a “person of interest” on March 23, and admitted at the Nonga Hospital on March 29.
“While at the hospital, she was isolated from the other patients and her sample sent to Port Moresby for testing.”
“The result came back positive this (yesterday) afternoon,” he said.
Marape said all flights to Kokopo which were to resume today would be restricted.
Marape said they were working with the East New Britain government, administration, provincial health authority and provincial police commander to contain the case.
“A strict compliance lockdown for Kokopo has been issued for the next 21 days. There will be no travelling into the province by land, sea or air,” Marape said.
“We will test all those people she may have come in contact with.”
There will be 200 test kits sent to the province and tests conducted “to establish if there was any transmission.”
Marape said the woman did not have any travel history and had been residing in the village. Authorities will trace her movements and who she came into contact with in the past 21 days.
“We will have all these information by tomorrow (today),” Marape said. On the national front, Marape said the two-month extension to the state of emergency was being reviewed.
“We may have to keep some (provinces) and remove some, while some provinces will have tougher measures than others, and may even have an extension to the state of emergency,” he said.
The Government is also contact tracing the Papua New Guinean confirmed case in Laos to establish if he was infected here in PNG or on the way to Laos.

25 comments

  • My appeal to the national government:
    Please the national government must enforce the police personnel of ENBP to check her out and lock her up in isolation or shoot her to death because Papua New Guinea we don’t have enough resources (in terms of madics and also human resource) to fight against this corona virus diaease.

  • CAN THE GOVERNMENT PUT A TOTAL STOP TO THE MOVEMENT PF PEOPLE. IT SEEMS LIKE THE PEOPLE OF PNG ARE STILL MOVING EVERY WHERE… MY GOODNESS, WHAT SOME IGNORANT PEOPLE.

  • Its seems that PNG citizens are moving around doing their normal business without fear of contracting the Virus even though we have SOE in placed. Please people when are we going to follow simple instructions?? Just imagine, how our limited health workers and poor and ineffective health system will contain the virus if it transmits to many people in PNG..
    Please ALL citizens must do the right thing and pray to our God the Creator for his intervention

  • Let the God of our life deal with this deadly virus thru our prayers and heart to Him. Our knowledge and abilities can be applied but our total trust must be in Him alone for complete prevention of the disease. However, for His glory, let His will be done and not ours.

  • People make fun out this pandemic disease called Coronavirus. Please can the Government track and find out those people who are making fun through Facebook and other social media.. If the virus spreading I believe that every people of this beautiful Nation of Papua new Guinea will die like nobody’s business.. Government should also lockdown provincial borders as well because people think that virus will not reach where they are so, they are moving in and out without restriction..
    Thank you

  • Can the government provide a pre- test on all the people of ENP regardless of their status or whether they are a contact to the victim or not?

  • People of PNG please listen to the simple instruction, “KEEP ALL YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS HOME, TOTAL LOCK DOWN IN YOUR HOMES WHERE EVER YOU ARE”. That will save you and your family member’s life from the virus and also spreading it to the people.

  • Thank you God and our national leaders for exposing a locally transmitted case of the frightful virus. Thank you also to you Hon. Prime Minister and to all our medical and COVID.19 ENBP team for the courageous effort and swift measures taken to isolate the infected person. Gratitude also goes to our surveillance team for the quick measure taken to close the boarder of the province and round down all Persons Of Interest (POI) that may or have come into contact with the infected individual. Job well done! Please keep up the good work, and be assured that we are all praying to God to keep you all safe while you attend to your work. God be with you all!

    Please fellow citizens, let us not stigmatize the individual who is currently being treated in isolation by way of our uncontrolled outbursts on social media. Let us all stay positive and work collectively by observing all practical health household rules given by COVID.19 National team, and cheer up our health personnel, National Surveillance team, SoE & COVID.19 ENBP team and also the infected person. Let our ENBP Hospital staff fight this single case in good spirit, knowing that the entire national citizens are with them. Let us all be with them in good faith and pray & hope for God to heal the patient and protect our nation. God be with us all!

  • It is serious.Can people follow simple instructions esp social distancing and no contact movements.We dont not have proper medical facilities like Italy or USA.We could loose all 8 million plus citizens of this nation if the virus spreads.Thankyou and God bless PNG

  • Our government is doing it’s very best to avoid deadly disease (coronavirus) but we people are ignorant. Therefore the virus is already entered our beautiful shore so we individual are responsible for our well being and take extra precaution seriously…

  • Covid-19. We need to adhere to simple instructions and health measures. Ignorant people, our lives will be swept away before we realise.

  • So a POI is confirmed. That’s means she come in from another country. Secondly, contact tracing is done now, that means she did go into self isolation prior to seeking medical assistance. That’s is just great. Ok everyone settle down and exercise cultural and social distancing for now.

  • The virus can only move or travel by having a free ride through individuals. The Virus jumps from one person to the next person and incubates in the human travel capsule, reproduces/mutates and looks to travel further, far and wide as far as the single or multiple human (capsule) travels.

    Let us not allow room or space for this parasite (free rider) COVID to travel or move (through the human travel capsule)., by not moving around or traveling, in doing so we restrict its movement. Good people, please take the advice and information from the authorities seriously , harim tok na bihainim… na stap safe..
    GOD’s Protection and Blessings to Beautiful PNG..

  • Lets tighten up our international border provinces with additional security forces, and put in place stringent measures to curb down illegal border crossers, if need be arrest them and isolate them in confinement until proper tests are carried out on them prior to charging them.
    For the provinces, lets all be vigilant by referring any suspected individual(s) to the nearest medical center for testing and if confirmed with the virus, normal protocols taken and the province goes into lockdown until all clear given by the appropriates.

  • Whilst I applaud the Government’s solid response to the global pandemic of the coronavirus, there are some measures what’re not too strict hence can accelerate the mode of transition. Such measures as;

    1. Resumption of domestic flights. One would have that with the second case now in ENB, the most wise thing to do is to suspend all flights or limit all. It’ll take only an unsuspecting passenger to board a flight and arrive in another Province and start a major bush fire;

    2. People ate still moving around in cohesed social harmony and in direct disobedience to the SOE Orders. Its time now for the Police to come down hard on disrespectful citizens and arrest them.

    My thoughts.

  • I’D LIKE TO PERSONALLY COMMENT HON MARAPE FOR A TREMENDOUS JOB HE’S DOING TO PROTECT PAPUA NEW GUINEANS FROM CONTRACTING COVID 19 I MEAN ANYONE ONE CAN FREELY SPEAK THEIR MIND OR COMMENT THEIR THOUGHT ON HOW THEY SEE BUT AFTER ALL THEY MUST ALSO NOT FORGET THAT,THE UNDERLINING POINT IS PNG HAS SINGLE TWO CORONA VIRUS POSITIVE.

    COMPARE OUR POSITIVE CASE TO THE SUPER POWER COUNTRY USA.
    MARAPE NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE STILL POWERFUL!!!

  • Citizens of PNG, our ignorance of following the precoutionary measures imposed by our Government and the Health department will have effect on our own lives and our Country. We the people of PNG will decide whether we save our lives and our Country or we kill ourselves and our Country. If we follow instructions, then we have the chance of defeating the decease covid_19. People, we don’t have to put pressure on the Government. Instead we should help by behaving and follow ing instructions. We must always put GOD First in every single step we take today and onwards. My pray is, “GOD HAVE MERCY ON US” .

  • God fearing people are wiser then foolishing themselves. Our Prime Minister is a God fearing person and you can see that people are shaked by the norval COVID-19 pandemic but such a wisdom person like him can handle the situation with confidence and courage. The simple highlight of his wisdom is that, the 14 days lock down has been over and yet there is no positive case dectet. Everything should be back to normal as most people think, and the cabinet members and MPs.

    But with his God given wisdom the SOE has been extended, and after the 14th day of lockdown, which is today and the has been confirmed positive at East New Britian.

    Lets all help ourselves and the authorities that is above by listening and obeying what the regulations as set by SOE and faithfully do what the ways of prevention that are as directed by the health department. And always never forget to seek God in this time of crisis. Thank you so much and may the guidance of our Lord be with you all.

  • Safety is your personal business
    Comply with SOE and safety tips and you should be OK

  • That is pin point accurate information. She has to be given total isolation. All those people she came to be in contact within last 14 days has to be isolated and if further tracing result are positive than ENB must declare provincial emergency for an indefinite period until the situation warrants normalcy. We can not be the same as other country where pandemic is really becoming a threat to their life while growing infectiously in societies.

  • Can the government expedite essential testing kits and make available through out the country so that people of interest can be tested early before they infect others. These hot spot areas where COVID19 was first detected must be the top priority areas for the government to put control measures. Early testing and diagnosis is the only way forward to stop this deadly virus from spreading to other parts of the country

  • Its looming! Brace for it! PNG have to have a fair share in the pandemic. There is no escaping.

  • The World news stated the COVID-19 patient recovered so in PNG we don’t have to worry too much on that virus. If they can recover than we have the best and fresh nutrients foods here that can help us recover. But first we adhere to the Government advice and follow basic hygiene instructions to keep us save. Otherwise we have everything here in our gardens, fresh air atmosphere and above all we have the Lord Jesus on our side who can be against us. God bless PNG

  • Is this a local transmission? Is she in contact with the first case? I know tracing team will do their absolute effort. But if the information on her contracting the virus be made public, will be vital for all. Or those who may think are in contact with her will voluntarily come forward for testing.

  • Can the govt please quickly expedite the process of tracing the origin and close contact of the victim asap B4 it’s too late. It’s not good enough to just relax and claim they have still not traced the origin of covid 19. It’s is matter of priority

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