PNG PM, cops warn of Covid-19 restrictions
News that matter in Papua New Guinea
PNG PM, cops warn of Covid-19 restrictions
PORT MORESBY: Police are warning Papua New Guineans that it will
enforce the National Pandemic Act to stop any public gathering of more than 20
people as the Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases continue to spike.
Prime Minister James Marape reiterated his appeal to
citizens who have yet to be vaccinated to do so quickly.
PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below several news on the current Covid-19 status in Papua New Guinea as reported by The National:
Coronavirus
warning
November 15, 2021The
NationalMain Stories
POLICE have warned the people that
they will enforce the National Pandemic Act to stop any public gathering of
more than 20 people, as the Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases continue to increase.
In addition, Prime Minister James Marape is again appealing to citizens yet to
get vaccinated to do so quickly to help their bodies fight the Covid-19 better.
National Capital District (NCD) acting Met Supt Chris Tamari warned those
wanting to hold a gathering in Port Moresby tomorrow over the “no jab, no job”
policy that “any gathering of more than 20 people will come under the National
Pandemic Controller’s jurisdiction”.
He said the NCD peace and order committee including the police had discussed
the request for a permit to hold a public gathering at the Unagi Oval tomorrow.
Any public event which would attract more than 20 people, if allowed, would be
a Covid-19 super-spreader event, he said.
He also said the Covid-19 vaccination was not mandatory.
“Employment is a privilege and not a right. All citizens have their individual
rights, but these rights do not override the community’s rights at large,” he
said.
“Employers imposing vaccination as a condition of employment do not breach the
discriminatory practice under the Discriminatory Practices Act 1963.”
According to the statistics released last Thursday by the National Control
Centre, most of those vaccinated so far were from Port Moresby.
Western, Jiwaka and Manus were between 10 and 20 per cent. The rest of the
provinces were below 10 per cent. Southern Highlands was the lowest at 1.2 per
cent.
Marape urged Papua New Guineans to get the jab.
“The vaccines are not 100 per cent preventative, but they do boost your immune
system so you can better fight the virus when you contract it,” he said. “This
is better than nothing, or going bare against the virus, considering our way of
life of communal living – gatherings at home, in churches or out in the public
such as market places or at haus krai.
“This makes it extremely easy as a transmissible environment for the Covid-19.”
Charged over
vaccine cards
November 15, 2021The
NationalMain Stories
TWO men are defending themselves in
court against charges relating to their involvement in the preparation of fake
Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination record cards.
Appearing before Magistrate Pious Tapil in the Lae Committal Court on Friday
were Foda Wingkey, 46, of Bokesu village, Finschhafen in Morobe and Nekint
Noki, 29, of Talim village, Tambul in Western Highlands. Police alleged that on
Oct 26, Wingkey and Noki used the Angau Memorial Hospital stamp on 11 fake
Covid-19 vaccination record cards.
Noki allegedly gave Wingkey the cards to put the hospital stamp on. He
allegedly paid Wingkey K150.
Police said when Noki was about to walk out of the hospital main gate, the
security guards questioned him.
The court was told that when the two were questioned at the police station,
they admitted the offences.
Noki was alleged to have knowingly given false or misleading information by
issuing the fake Covid-19 vaccination record cards bearing the Angau Memorial
Hospital’s official stamp, thereby contravening Section 47(1) (d) of the
National Pandemic Act 2020.
Wingkey was alleged to have impersonated an authorised person by using the
official hospital stamp on the fake Covid-19 vaccination record cards,
contravening Section 47(1) (f) of the National Pandemic Act 2020.
Magistrate Tapil adjourned Wingkey’s case to Dec 13 for mention.
Noki was remanded and told to apply for bail at the National Court. His case
was adjourned to Dec 17.
PMGH
restoring services
November 15, 2021The
NationalMain Stories
By JINA AMBA
THE country’s biggest hospital is this week restoring all services it
had to scale down at the height of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) surge, an
official says.
Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi said all
services should return to normal from Wednesday.
“The scale-down will end on (Nov) 17th. We are going to open up services
especially the consultation clinic,” he said.
“Newly-diagnosed (cases) like cancer, diabetes or heart disease are the ones we
are worried about.
“But patients we already know and been coming to our clinics. The pharmacies
are open and the emergency department is open and they can get their
prescriptions.
“As of next week, we want to open up especially the diabetic clinic, cardiac
clinic and other specialised clinics.”
Dr Molumi said with the Covid-19 positivity rate going down to 54 per cent, the
PMGH should be able to manage the Covid-19, and open up services for the other
disease.
“We have a tent where we are doing rapid test and screen everyone coming into
the hospital,” he said.
“Those tested positive we will do GeneXpert testing to confirm. Those who test
negative will access the specialist clinics.”
Dr Moluymi said while the positivity rate at PMGH had decreased, Covid-19 cases
in Central and Gulf had increased.
At the end of September, the positivity rate was 85 per cent. Last week, it
went down to 54 per cent.
“But we have seen an increase in Central and Gulf. Central doesn’t have any
hospital, so they are all coming to PMGH. Our staff need to step up again so
that we could save those patients,” Dr Molumi said.
“Our team is working on how we are going to support Central and get their
patients faster to our Covid-19 centre.”
Hospital to
go ahead with mass burial for unclaimed bodies
November 15, 2021The
NationalNational
THE Port Moresby General Hospital
will go ahead with the mass burial of unclaimed bodies probably this week, says
chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi.
Dr Molumi said the burial announced some weeks ago had to be postponed after
they received requests from relatives to give them time to come and take away
the bodies of their loved ones.
“For the mass burial, we got people requesting us to hold the bodies for a
while. But (it) will proceed,” he said. Dr Molumi said there was another list
of dead people to be published in the newspapers.
“We are just delaying because of the requests. We are giving time to the
relatives to come and claim the bodies,” he said.
Dr Molumi said after they had published the names of the unclaimed bodies, many
came to claim the bodies.
“Many have come and they are still continuing. So that has created some space
for us. But the new list of unclaimed bodies will go up on Monday. We have to
do the burial at the end of next week,” he said.
The hospital has brought in another refrigerated container to accommodate
another 35 or more bodies.
New Zealand
sends medical team, logistics
November 15, 2021The
NationalNational
NEW Zealand has sent a medical and
logistics support team with medical supplies to assist Papua New Guinea’s
response to the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Associate Foreign Minister Aupito William Sio said two New Zealand Defence
Force logisticians and an environment health officer would support the Covid-19
National Control Centre in Port Moresby.
Two doctors and three nurses from the private company Respond Global, two fire
and emergency logisticians and a representative of the ministry of foreign
affairs and trade will be based in Bougainville to support health authorities
there.
“New Zealand remains committed to supporting our Pacific neighbours to respond
to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
“We are deeply saddened by the increasing loss of lives in PNG due to the pandemic.”
This aid comes in response to a formal request by the PNG Government for
humanitarian and medical support from partner governments, with case numbers,
hospitalisations and deaths on the rise, due to the current Delta surge.
“Most of the team departed on a New Zealand Defence Force aircraft and will be
based in PNG for approximately one month.”
Ambulance
concern about rise of Covid-19 cases in Central
November 15, 2021The
NationalNational
THE St John Ambulance is concerned
about the increase in ambulance call-outs to Central, – with eight within 24
hours, says chief executive officer Matt Cannon.
“While eight patients seem small, it is double our normal case load,” he said.
“Each case takes an ambulance crew between three to eight hours per patient.
“We are seeing a small rise in (Coronavirus) Covid-19 cases in Central, Lae and
the National Capital District.
“(Overall) in the past 24 hours, we have responded to 70 emergencies in Papua
New Guinea.”
On Saturday afternoon, Cannon said the eight patients were transported from
Central by ambulance in a space of 24 hours.
He said three of the patients were positive Covid-19 cases and two were
respiratory cases (suspected Covid-19).
Of the 18 emergency Covid-19 cases, 11 were from the NCD, three each from Lae
and Central, and one from Kundiawa.
The Central administration had planned to declare a lockdown last week but did
not go ahead with it.
Of the 56 patients admitted at the Nightingale Covid-19 Centre at Taurama, 25
were mild, 30 moderate and one classified as severe.
Prime Minister James Marape yesterday again urged those yet to get the Covid-19
vaccine to do so quickly as it will protect them if they contract the virus.
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