Governor Peter Yama

The PNGDF engineers were in the province under the Government’s sanctioned project, the Madang-Baiyer road.

They operate out of Iome in Middle Ramu and Songaram in the Madang district.

Governor Yama clarified that the involvement of PNGDF engineers in the COVID-19 with the Response Team is not illegal as claimed.

He said it is the same arrangement in which the PNGDF element have in the last rotation where they were used for the natural disaster during the Manam Island volcano relief effort.

Governor Peter Yama made the bold move to declare a 14-day lock-down in the province prior to the Government’s State of Emergency announcement.

Head of Madang Province COVID -19 Response Command Center, Dr Juith Gawi is greatful to the Madang Governor taking that step to put Madang on lock-down immediately after the announcement of the first coronavirus case in PNG.

A checkpoint has been set up along the North Coast highway in Bogia, to screen emergency patients coming from the district.