COVID-19

The support package covers three critical areas; establishing screening sites throughout PNG, educating communities on risks and preventative measures, and essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

UNICEF is setting up over 30 tents across PNG that health workers will use to conduct pre-triage screening procedures for patients who present with COVID-19 symptoms.

“The 125 samples collected included 1 sample from the Manus Province, 3 samples from Gulf and 121 samples from the National Capital District,” the Prime Minister said.

An additional 12 samples taken from East New Britain also returned negative.

“Samples from the NCD includes samples from myself, the Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS Hon. Jelta Wong, Minister for Police Hon. Bryan Kramer, the State of Emergency (SOE) Controller and Police Commissioner David Manning and the Deputy SOE Controller Acting Secretary for the National Department of Health Dr. Paison Dakulala.

The Acting Chief Migration Officer, Robert Bara Kennedy, announced this on Friday, April 17^th.

Kennedy stated that although the Counter Areas at Central Government Office and Koitachi Haus, Gordons were close since Monday,  March 23^rd, and a further extension of two months effective as of April 9^th, the Office will remain open weekly to provide vital services to clients, corporate partners and the non-citizens residing on short and long term basis in the country.

Graham made these remarks after Papua New Guinea announced on Thursday 16th April that it had five new COVID-19 cases, of which three were from border villages adjacent to the mine’s Bige dredging project in the Western Province.

Graham said none of the three cases are employees or contractors of OTML.

In partnership with the National Department of Health, Australia will deliver ten containerised health facilities to boost PNG’s health infrastructure capacity.

These facilities can be deployed to existing health centres and hospitals and used for support services, including triage and referral, treatment of non-infectious diseases, injuries and prenatal and postnatal care. This will help free up space elsewhere in existing health facilities to treat identified and suspected COVID-19 patients.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Makap and his staff presented water, soft drinks, coffee, tea, sugar and biscuits on Tuesday at the National Operations Centre at Morauta Haus.

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner and State of Emergency Operations Commander, Donald Yamasombi, said: “We have staff who maintain this call centre 24 hours every day and in order to keep them going, such donation go a long way. For MVIL to come on board and give this donation will surely sustain us to fight this pandemic into the future.

The directive was issued on MOnday 14th April.

However, he directed that Emergency Order 14 (seizure of aircraft, vehicle, vessels and perishable goods pursuant to the National Emergency) will continue.

Manning said whilst there is a need to restrict movement of people to stop the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19 there must be minimum disruption to the lives of the people.

Jenny McGee, along with Luis Pitarma from Portugal, was praised by the PM for standing at his bedside "when things could have gone either way".

Ms McGee's parents told Television New Zealand they are "exceptionally proud".

They said she treated Mr Johnson like any other patient.

Mr Johnson was discharged from St Thomas' Hospital in London on Sunday, one week after being admitted to be treated for coronavirus. He spent several nights in the intensive care unit where he was given oxygen.

They hope to initially help third-party contact-tracing apps run efficiently.

But ultimately, they aim to do away with the need to download dedicated apps, to encourage the practice.

The two companies believe their approach - designed to keep users, whose participation would be voluntary, anonymous - addresses privacy concerns.

Their contact-tracing method would work by using a smartphone's Bluetooth signals to determine to whom the owner had recently been in proximity for long enough to have established contagion a risk.

The entertainer, best known as one third of the popular 1970s show The Goodies, and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, died on Sunday.

Goodies co-star Bill Oddie called him a "true visual comic and a great friend".

The third member of the trio, Graeme Garden, said he was "terribly saddened by the loss of a dear colleague and close friend of over 50 years".

"He was a funny, sociable, generous man who was a delight to work with. Audiences found him not only hilarious but also adorable."