Stranded citizens to return

By REBECCA KUKU
PAPUA New Guineans stranded overseas will be returning home tomorrow, says state of emergency controller David Manning.
Manning told The National yesterday that even though they were finalising things, they were planning to bring them home this week.
“The Government will assist those who cannot afford to meet the quarantine fees,” he said.
“Not all of them are in the position to pay for their own quarantine, some are students who were overseas on scholarships whose family would not be in a position to afford the quarantine fees.
“So I am willing to cover that expense, we can put money into quarantining them or we can send them home where in a worst case scenario there could be a community transmission or outbreak.
“So we will foot the bills but only for those who cannot afford it.”
Manning said another reason why the Government would help to pay for the quarantine fees was due to the standard of living in Port Moresby.
“We can’t send them home and expect all families to have a spare room for quarantine when many are renting rooms to live in.
“And also because due to shortage of testing kits globally, they will not be tested before boarding the plane. As the global trend now is to only test people if and when they show symptoms.
“So they will just board the plane and come home without been tested,” he said.
“Therefore, we will have to quarantine them for 14 days, and if anyone of them shows symptoms of the Covid-19 than we will test them and place them into isolation.”