SOE extension ‘unlikely’
By HELEN TARAWA
IT is “highly” unlikely that the State of Emergency will be extended when it expires on June 2 next week, according to Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey.
Parliament is expected to sit next week to discuss what Government has decided on the state of emergency declared on March 23 in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ling-Stuckey did not elaborate on the matter but Prime Minister James Marape was reported last week to have said the same thing.
The state of emergency was initially for 14 days but was extended from April to June 2 by the Government after eight confirmed cases of the Covid-19 were reported in the country.
All have reportedly recovered but the Government is continuing its response plan to stop it from entering the country and containing its spread.
Meanwhile, the extension of the state of emergency will be the first item on the agenda when Parliament sits next week, says Acting Clerk to Parliament Kala Aufa.
He told The National that the recommendations of an emergency committee had been submitted to the controller David Manning.
Prime Minister James Marape is expected to address Parliament on the status of the Covid-19 response plan and stimulus package.
Aufa said the order of business for next week’s session was yet to be confirmed.
He said Parliament was expected to sit for two weeks.
Parliament in a special siting on April 2 passed four bills relating to the state of emergency by 96 votes.
They were the Quarantine (Amendment) Bill 2020, Emergency (Defence Force) Covid-19 Bill 2020, Pubic Health (Amendment) Bill 2020 and the Emergency (General Provisions) Covid-19 Bill 2020.
13 comments
what is the reason for extension for SOE, only the borders can be manned.
please restore back normalcy.
The SOE needs to be uplifted when Parliament sits on June 2, but serious considerations should be given to our borders and must be manned 24-7 for as long as this COVID-19 threat exists.
SOE to be strick on international flights, border areas and cargo/passenger ships coming into the country.
Please restore back normalcy in the country, only put in place some strict rules to follow to avoid spread of COVID -19
There is no any death case being confirm in PNG yet,why are they decided to extend the SoE.Those PPE are treated and already cured.Please people anther tough situation again for urban centers dwellers,government must only monitored the national borders and leave the PNG back to normal operation as usual.
Yeah, obviously there is no point extending SOE period.
Please uplift SOE, upgrade on our screening and testing protocols and divert funding to our borders. Secure the borders to protect PNG from all treats, not only COVID-19.
SOE becomes unnecessary in PNG since our God is protecting us. We do not need it anymore. We do not need to waste our resources, time and effort on this pandemic. We rather strengthened our faith in the Lord who saves us always and bring our normalcy back.
What is SOE? Just pump resource into maintaining the boarders.
SIR, we prefer for back to normalcy. you don`t say “”unlikely that the State of Emergency will be extended when it expires on June 2nd next week. there is zero death.under what ground you trying to extend the SOE. com`on big boys, we want demanding for our FREEDOM OF NORMALCY,,,.
MANNING, has to station up all his lazy officers at every restricted border zone for ilegal border crossing,..
No evidence provided by government to indicate the 8 confirmed cases. Has it been a hyped up propaganda by government? If so it has worked effectively. At the moment, there is no need to extend, man borders effectively
Strict measures are encouraged to implemented in international terminals for both air and sea.
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