Order finally brought to Lae bus stops

Police in Lae are now starting to bring order into otherwise chaotic bus stops that were not adhering to the national state of emergency orders.

While Port Moresby, East New Britain and Eastern Highlands were following the state of emergency protocol, it was business as usual in PNG’s second largest city.

This newsroom received reports that buses were overloaded with passengers while social distancing was far from the agenda as people crowded the sidewalks or waited in line at the bank.

However, by 4pm this afternoon, some form of order was brought about when police officers made sure commuters adhered to social distancing while 25-seater buses were not permitted to carry more than 15 passengers.

“We’re actually controlling the crowd to not sit around or hang around – loitering. They should just get whatever they need for the house, get on the bus and go back home,” a Senior Constable with the Lae Metropolitan Command told this newsroom.

“With COVID-19 already here, we’re just taking precautions and doing these basics and educating people.

“One of our units is at Eriku doing the same thing; there are eight of us – four to a car.

“We will maintain this from 6am until the last bus stops in the evening.”

Author: 
Carmella Gware