PNG to revise workplace safety protocols to fight Covid-19

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PNG to revise workplace safety protocols to fight Covid-19

PORT MORESBY: The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government is working on a new workplace safety protocols – including rapid tests daily for unvaccinated workers and temperature checks for those vaccinated, says Prime Minister James Marape.

“We are zeroing in on certain workplace protocols that need to be issued (where) people’s rights are maintained but workplace safety is given prominence,” he added.

PNG Cyber Monitor reproduces below a few stories published by The National on the Coronavirus (Covid-19) update in PNG:

 

New work safety plan

November 3, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
THE Government is working on new workplace safety protocols – including rapid tests daily for unvaccinated workers and temperature checks for those fully vaccinated, says Prime Minister James Marape. “We are zeroing in on certain workplace protocols that need to be issued (where) people’s rights are maintained but workplace safety is given prominence,” he said.
“The National Control Centre (NCC) is consulting the Department of Health and other partners for (these) workplace safety requirements.
“The government is consulting doctors (to have) testing at workplaces (for employees) before they go to work.
“Those (fully) vaccinated will take a temperature test before going in to work.
“If you test positive, you will be asked to stay out.”
As of Sunday, the total number of Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in PNG reached 29,813.
The total number of people vaccinated was 315,271 and those tested 213,608.
Members of the national security council had been meeting in the past few days to discuss how to deal with the Covid-19 surge in cases and the control and containment measures to be taken.
“We are trying to review the approach of the country to the Covid-19 and will consider the status quo.
“Prevalence is high at 15 per cent.
“We will be looking at our strategy, including in the workplace.”
In a media conference via video link yesterday in Port Moresby, Marape said some people had been complaining that their rights had been violated.
“But their rights infringe on the workplace and the rights of others already vaccinated,” he said.
He said “no jab, no job” policy had risen to the fore.
“We have taken note.
“Some are genuine concerns, others not so genuine, with some people not fully understanding workplace safety, especially on the exposure to workplace safety,” Marape said.
He took a swipe at social media for “the negativity surrounding vaccinations more than the reality of the benefits of vaccines”.
“Statistics tell us to look at vaccinations as a prevention with over 2 billion people vaccinated,” he said.
“Taking the statistics on board, we will be advocating on strong promotion of the vaccines and their availability.
“Awareness will be pushed with the NCC tasked to put awareness and statistics together to push for more information on vaccines.
“Facebook and real-time information (are) put through various platforms, with people often asking about the vaccinations, what they see in particular coins and other items stuck to the hands of those who got vaccinated.
“I have often told them that it’s fake.
“For (us) vaccinated, we have not seen any coins and items stuck to our arms.
“This is an example of fake news and speculations.
“To those pushing (such) fake news, you are dealing with people’s lives.
“Do not play with people’s lives.”

Vaccine card for overseas travel

November 3, 2021The NationalNational

THE Health Department is issuing a Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination card for international travellers, says secretary Dr Osborne Liko.
Dr Liko said anyone wishing to travel overseas and had been fully vaccinated should submit a copy of their green vaccination card issued at the vaccination site, with a copy of the demographic information page of their passport.
The Health Department will require the following details:

• NAME, date of birth, gender, nationality (as shown on the passport);
• NATIONAL identification document (NID) if applicable;
• VACCINE batch number; and,
• DATE of vaccination.

“We started last week and it is ongoing,” he said.
“The vaccination (travelling) certificates are signed, stamped and issued as soon as possible when it comes to us.
“We have staff assigned to work overtime to ensure there is no inconvenience caused to anybody who requires this service.”

Third wave of Covid-19 expected

November 3, 2021The NationalNational

EAST New Britain (ENB) is experiencing a third wave of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases and it is evident that not only are older people at risk but the young are also vulnerable, an official says.
Provincial administrator and controller Wilson Matava said the Covid-19 posed a threat to students as they congregated daily to learn.
Matava, who is also provincial education board chairman, said education was an essential service, however, classes for day schools would be limited to three days a week, while the teachers worked the full school week.
Matava said for boarding schools and tertiary institutions, classes would continue but were subject to alterations as decided by the school administration based on context and situations faced by each institution.
“School leadership is critical during this period so teaching and learning continues despite the disruption,” he said.
“The measures are guides, however, site leaders must provide leadership to provide innovative strategies and plans to optimise learning during this period.
“Evidence indicated that previous lockdown strategies did not work, therefore, site leaders must organise and plan according to those experiences to innovatively deliver teaching and learning.” 

Oxygen plant now supplying hospital

November 3, 2021The NationalMain Stories

Service technician Michal Ranusa from Oxywise, the manufacturer of the oxygen plant from Slovakia in Central Europe, running tests at the Port Moresby General Hospital yesterday. The facility is expected to be commissioned later this week. This oxygen plant will see an adequate supply of oxygen for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients at the hospital. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI

By LULU MARK
THE Port Moresby General Hospital now has an adequate supply of oxygen for Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients following the installation of a new oxygen plant on site.
During the testing of the oxygen plant yesterday, hospital director of medical service Dr Kone Sobi said it was the joint initiative of the Government and the World Health Organisation.
It will improve the hospital’s capacity to supply oxygen which is critical in treating Covid-19 patients.
The plant can produce 150 G-Size cylinders in a day – a good rate – to meet the oxygen supply demand.
He said since the start of the current Covid-19 surge, oxygen consumption had increased with almost 200 G-Size oxygen cylinders used on Covid-19 cases in a day.
“Before the Covid-19, we use 500 G-Size cylinders in a week.
“(Now), we are using 200 in one day,” he said.
He said the hospital’s oxygen demand had gone up by almost 180 per cent.
“One patient, depending on the severity of the case, will require three to 12 cylinders a day,” he said.
“If your condition is mild, probably two cylinders a day.”
There are currently about 160 patients, including around 40 at the Nightingale Covid-19 centre at the Taurama Aquatic Centre, with 144 on oxygen.
“We have patients on cylinders, wall oxygen which the hospital was built with and oxygen concentrators,” Dr Sobi said.
The oxygen concentrator is the smaller version of the oxygen plant that gets air, concentrates it, removes other gases and delivers oxygen to the patients.

Dept to close down office

November 3, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By JINA AMBA
THE Education Department’s head office in Port Moresby will be closed for two weeks because of the number of staff members tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Education Minister Jimmy Uguro told The National yesterday that a number of officers had contracted the Covid-19 and the closure would allow others to go for testing and for the whole building to be sanitisied.
Education secretary Dr Uke Kombra said the directive applied to all public servants working at the department’s head office at Fincorp Haus in Waigani.
It began yesterday and would end on Nov 16.
Kombra said during the two weeks, essential service divisions of the department would continue to operate.
They include the payroll division, GTFS secretariat, information communication technology, measurement services division, and the financial services division.
He said assistant secretaries in each of those essential service divisions should continue draw up duty rosters for their staff.
Kombra said other divisions should provide tasks for each officer and allow them to work from home.
“The divisional heads must maintain continuous dialogue with their staff using appropriate modes of communication,” Kombra said.
“Individuals who have urgent or important tasks may come to the office to work, but must strictly adhere to the Covid-19 protocols.”

Schools in EHP closing early as teachers, staff get infected

November 3, 2021The NationalMain Stories

EASTERN Highlands, one of the worst-hit provinces in terms of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases, is closing down schools early because of the number of teachers and staff getting affected.
Acting provincial education director Wesley Albert said since January, 26 teachers and education officials in the province had died from the Covid-19.
He said all elementary, community and primary schools had been told to suspend classes for the rest of the year. Albert said the shortage of teachers in turn affected students.
“It is critical at this time to save our teacher population from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in schools and in the province,” he said. Albert said it was likely that some of the teachers had been vulnerable to the virus because of their age and their interaction with students every day.
“The province needs to protect the teachers. We cannot afford to lose them,” he said.
He said secondary and high schools had been advised to complete final assessments and all technical, vocational, education training (Tvet) should complete compulsory assessments to qualify students for graduation and certification.

‘No jab, no job’ tested

November 3, 2021The NationalMain Stories

By CHARLES MOI
EMPLOYEES of the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) have filed a case challenging the legality of the “no jab, no job” policy imposed by NCDC.
Lawyer George Kaore, representing the NCDC Workers Association, appeared before Deputy Chief Justice Ambeng Kandakasi to seek certain interim orders at the National Court in Waigani yesterday.
City manager Bernard Kipit, Governor Powes Parkop and NCDC were named as defendants in the case.
Kaore said the NCDC employees filed the case for the court to enforce the rights of the workers pursuant to section 41 of the Constitution (Prescribed Acts) and section 48 of the Constitution (Freedom of employment).
He said the Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination should not be mandatory in the workplace.
However, Justice Kandakasi advised Kaore to provide to the court a list of NCDC workers who were vaccinated and those that were not vaccinated.
Justice Kandakasi also told Kaore to provide a list of the non-vaccinated NCDC staff who had taken a Covid-19 test.
Justice Kandakasi said such basic information were not provided by the plaintiffs to the court.
After considering submissions from parties, he ordered the National Executive Council (NEC), Health Minister Jelta Wong, and the National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning to be added as defendants to the case.
The court ordered the Government through NEC, Wong and Manning to provide a copy of the National Covid-19 Pandemic Response plan, the strategic implementation plan and all relevant details about the Covid-19 awareness, contact tracing and isolation.
Justice Kandakasi said the case by the NCDC Workers Association would be heard together with the case filed by the Human Rights Advocacy International.
The Human Rights Advocacy International filed the case in the National Court claiming that the “no jab, no job” policy implemented by some government agencies, private companies and public statutory institutions was unconstitutional.
The matter has been adjourned to Nov 16 at 1.30pm.

Ausmat transports supplies to most affected provinces

November 3, 2021The NationalMain Stories

THE Australian Medical Assistance Team (Ausmat) has started transporting essential supplies for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) to 10 most affected provinces.
At the weekend, they dropped these supplies off in Goroka in the Eastern Highlands, Lae in Morobe and Mt Hagen in Western Highlands.
There were five bricks (lots) containing these supplies in Mt Hagen which were for Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Jiwaka, Chimbu and Enga.
There are two more bricks – for NCD and Central – to be delivered by road.
Each of the provinces will be receiving three-tonnes of supplies each, comprising personal protective equipment, oxygen concentrators and essential medicines which will be needed in surges of cases.
A Royal Australian Air Force cargo aircraft is used in transporting the supplies.
Ausmat came into the country three weeks ago on the request of the PNG Government to help address the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most of the cargo is taken from the National Control Centre warehouse in Port Moresby, but there’s also some supplies brought by the Ausmat team for different hospitals.
There are currently eight clinical members of the Ausmat team in the country.
“We also brought logistics experts. The Ausmat team travelled to Goroka with a biomedical engineer who is helping the Goroka General Hospital with checking its installation of oxygen concentrators and maintenance of these equipment so that they are working properly,’’ said team leader Dr Mark Little.
“In this surge we are seeing many people getting ill, we are helping to make sure IPC (infection prevention and control) is good,’’ Dr Little said.
“This (surge) is a lot worse. It has lots of deaths. The good news, however, is that compared to last week, Goroka looks better, although it is in a bad situation.’’
Dr Little and John Piispanen said they were impressed with the staff in Goroka General Hospital.
“They’re organised. The leadership there is very good,’’ said Dr Little and attributed this partly to the domestic emergency medical team headed by Dr Gary Nou.

Central Dabaris players, officials complete Covid-19 vaccination

November 3, 2021The NationalSports

DIGICEL Cup club Central Dabaris completed its Coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination rollout last month with all players and officials in the club now fully vaccinated.
Dabaris development and programme manager Indy Verena told The National that the last group of its development players received their jabs late last month.
“As of last week, all our development players have received their vaccination because our submission to the National Control Centre, under the Southern Super League competition, was to have all our players vaccinated,” he said. The club stands by the league’s ‘no jab, no game’ policy and we’ve been arranging to have all our players taking part in the competition to understand and get the vaccination.
“We know how hard it is to get games back on track, given the current situation we have in the country.
“So it’s important that we remain compliant with all the requirement of the competition.”
Verena said the club had been running Covid-19 awareness throughout the year with the majority of players and officials supporting the drive to get vaccinated. “It’s a good thing for the club to have everyone vaccinated,” he said.
“Prior to that, we’ve really been driving the message on the importance of getting the jab.
“We didn’t force our players and officials into taking the vaccine.

Forces run awareness

November 3, 2021The NationalNational

MEMBERS of the disciplined forces in Hela are conducting awareness to ensure the people understand and follow public health safety measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) .
Provincial police commander Chief Insp Teddy Agwi said police officers and soldiers started the exercise in Tari town then moved further to Komo, Magarima, Kopiago and Koroba.
The main message is for people to wear face masks and maintain social distancing while in public places.
“We are conducting awareness, especially in the market and main shopping centres where a lot of people congregate,” Chief Insp Agwi said.
Checkpoints have been set up in designated areas to check temperatures and ensure everyone was wearing masks.

Covid-19 cases at PMGH drop but may increase again, says doctor

November 3, 2021The NationalNational

By LULU MARK
THE number of Coronavirus (Covid-19) cases at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) has slightly dropped, but it may go up again given the reluctance of some to get vaccinated, a doctor says.
PMGH director of medical service Dr Kone Sobi said currently there were about 160 Covid-19 patients admitted, including around 40 at the Nightingale Covid-19 centre in Taurama. Of those, 144 require oxygen.
“Right now, the positivity rate is about 50 per cent (compared to) three weeks ago when we were hitting 85 per cent positivity rate,” he said.
He suspects that last week could have been the “middle of the surge” and now our detection rate is slowly coming down, he said.
“But it’s not coming down as fast as we would like it to be.
“I appeal to (people) to adhere to the Niupela Pasin – wear a mask, sanitise/wash hands and avoid social/mass gatherings.
“These interventions together with vaccinations can improve our recovery rate.” Dr Sobi said from models and experience, surges usually last between 10 and 12 weeks.
“This surge began towards the end of September – nearly seven weeks ago,” he said.
“We are somewhere in the middle of the surge and I think from the testing result, we have turned the corner and on the plateau towards going down.”
He said our “weak health system” had been badly exposed.

Buimo gets first inmates after closure in September

November 3, 2021The NationalNational

By GLORIA BAUAI
BUIMO prison in Lae received its first inmates from police on Monday after the facility had closed due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) infections in early September.
Prison commander Chief Supt Michael Wundia said measures were relaxed last month, leading to their first intake of inmates from the Lae police lock-up this week.
“We requested for 20 to 25 (inmates),” he said, but could not confirm the exact number the prison had received.
“Our population, as of Monday morning, was 608.
“We should be accepting at least 700, anything above that is overcrowding and overcrowding only brings negative issues.
“We’re doing our best to manage and for now, I prefer only the convicted ones so that the number is manageable.”
Chief Supt Wundia said the new inmates would undergo a Covid-19 test and be isolated for seven days before being transferred into the main campus with other inmates.
He said they had also received eight containers with three rooms each to be used as isolation units but were not in use yet.
According to Chief Supt Wundia, the containers lacked specific requirements requested by them.
He said Lae MP John Rosso recently allocated K20,000 which has not been released yet.