Good evening PNG,
Today we living in an environment of insecurities due to corona virus. The virus is moved when people move from place to place. The world and our next door neighbors have greater number of infected persons and our weak health care systems, government had to take responsible approach.
Within those context, parliament passed an extension to State of Emergency (SOE) for further two months.
The SOE is not meant to harm us but protect us from the spread of Corona Virus ( C19). By the expiry of our earlier SOE induced 14 days shut down , the isolation strategy was to keep C19 from spreading it is presence in our country.
We are mapping our country on C19, thank God Yahweh so far our country is free of virus.
But that does not mean we become complacent. Based on global and regional medical trend and evidence before Government on the dangers of lack of protective measures, our country stands totally exposed to the devastation C19 can cause to our people and economy.
Today’s SOE extension will have operation orders that is less restrictive depending on situation going into the future. For instance by next Tuesday ( if we C19 free by Monday ) we will resume all domestics flights, will allow PMVs to operate, markets to operate , work to resume etc.
Our 21 provinces will be our coordinating centers and three key coordinating person are the PPC, PA and CEO of PHAs.
We will push in April to have C19 centers in Weom, Kiunga, Vanimo , Telefomin and Wewak. We will also work with Bougainville Government for a post in South Bougainville.
I ask all citizens that this are trying times, just because there is no infected person presently is no reason for us to be complacent.
Your freedom remains but for public safety including yourself , the Controller can make intervention at individual or group or provincial levels going into the future.
Churches and work places and public gathering must now readjust to minimal number of person ( small groups) with safe distance of work and socializations.
We will make further announcements including safety of our children at schools, considering of evidences, trends and presence of C19 after the 14 day isolation phase expires next Sunday.
For those overseas trying to travel in, we will do special uplift from Brisbane and Cairns and Singapore under special clearance from Controller when we establish your medical clearances and you will be isolated here for 14 days.
God bless PNG.
JMPM!