Take lockdown seriously

REGARDLESS of one’s education, ethnic group or just who you are, everyone should adhere to the state of emergency (SOE) conduct especially on the lockdown – stay at home and practice hygiene.
Prime Minister James Marape yesterday appealed to all Papua New Guineans to cooperate with the Covid-19 national security emergency response task force to stop the spread of virus in the country.
As much as many people feel irritated and annoyed with the 14-day SOE, Covid-19 respects no national borders, no social bounds, no political systems and no cultural values.
The whole world is affected by this pandemic and PNG is no exception.
Our trading partners have been hit hard and the effect is already being felt in the country.
This Pendemic levels the world. The SOE-induced isolation strategy (lockdown of provincial borders) is allowing authorities to map whether the virus is in country, where it is if it is in country, isolate the area or province affected and eliminate it.
We echo on what PM Marape says Papua New Guineans and residents, to bear with us for the next 10 days.
While scientists scramble to find a vaccine, all countries are putting emphasis now on responding to the global pandemic.
For almost a month, it had infected thousands in Wuhan in a day and every hospital bed was occupied and today media reports say there are empty beds and closed wards in the city.
According to an initial World Health Organisation report, an infected person appears to spread it to an average of 2.6 people.
And after 10 generations of transmission, with each taking five or six days, that one initial case has spawned 3,500 in matter of days and that is what the world is seeing.
What China did was to break the cycle by human intervention – LOCKDOWN.
Many said it was extreme, draconian and aggressive but it had to be done.
Here in PNG, many are already complaining but it is better to be safe than sorry.
It is no secret that PNG does not have the capacity to deal with this virus if there is an outbreak.
To help our health system, it is better to take protective measures – washing hands frequently, maintain social distancing, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth and practice good hygiene.
If the Government says, it is a 14-day lockdown on all non-essential services and for the citizen to restrict their movement, including gathering in masses or travelling, let’s do it.
If the Government says quarantine, then it should be done.
The Government needs the people in lockdown to be honest and cooperative.
The only way to stop the spread of Covid-19 is for people to stay housebound and that they should understand.
Public health methods are universal, they either work or they don’t and it depends on the people. Like many say, facing a global pandemic, every nation needs a new contract signed between its politicians, businesses and the public.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
And this is a desperate time for PNG.
Let us do our part stop the virus spreading in the country by following directions from the Government to assist the work that is being done by the Covid-19 national security emergency response task force.
The taskforce should at all cost get this message of the do’s and do not’s right down to the village level.
Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of stopping the spread of the virus.
And we should not put politics ahead of public health, now more than ever.