The COVID-19 Pandemic continues to have effects far reaching from the hustle and bustle of Port Moresby.
Travelers from the most remote parts of Papua New Guinea are unable to access flights because of recently introduced measures to control the spread pf COVID-19 in PNG.
Local aviation service provider, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) said the current orders from the National Control Center (NCC) require any passenger boarding an aircraft for a domestic flight to have a negative test report for COVID-19, and they recognize the difficulty in obtaining a COVID test for travel in most places.
“We have obtained permission from the NCC to conduct COVID tests for passengers and are currently doing tests at Hagen and Telefomin. In view of the number of test kits available, we are giving priority to essential staff like health workers and teachers who need to go into remote communities. We do recognize that our passengers from the bush locations cannot travel on our planes, as there are no facilities for a COVID test. We have taken the issue up with NCC on several occasions and are awaiting a decision,” MAF said.
“We continue to pray for wisdom for the National Leadership as they take decisions. We also pray for practical outcomes, especially for our people in the remote areas so that our rural passengers can avail our facilities,” it said.