A Papua New Guinea minister has raised concerns about “serious issues” at the PNG-Indonesia border due to a lack of proper security checkpoints.

Culture and Tourism Minister Belden Namah, who is also the member for the border electorate Vanimo-Green, voiced these concerns while supporting a new Biosecurity for Plants and Animals Bill presented in Parliament by Agriculture Minister John Boito.

He said Papua New Guinea was the only country in the Pacific Islands region that shared a land border with another nation.

According to Namah, the absence of proper quarantine and National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) checks at the border allowed people bringing food and plants from Indonesia to introduce diseases affecting PNG’s commodities.

Minister Namah, whose electorate shares a border with Indonesia, noted that while the PNG Defence Force and police were present, they were primarily focused on checking vehicles coming from Indonesia instead of actively patrolling the borders.

He clarified the roles, saying, “It’s NAQIA’s job to search vehicles and passengers, and the PNGDF’s role is to guard and patrol our borders.”

Namah expressed concern that while bills were passed, enforcement on the ground was lacking.

Minister Namah supported the PNG Biosecurity Authority Bill and called for consistency, increased border security, and stricter control checks.

Republished from the PNG Post-Courier with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Covid-19 testing of Marshall Islanders in managed quarantine has seen the largest number test positive for covid-19 since managed repatriation started nearly two years ago.

Seven out of a repatriation group of 72 people tested positive for the coronavirus last Friday, according to a government announcement issued late Friday night.

All are in quarantine at the US Army base at Kwajalein Atoll. This repatriation group is the first to spend only three days in quarantine in Honolulu prior to departure to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday this week.

When the Marshall Islands first began allowing controlled entry to the country in June 2020, the government required two weeks quarantine in Honolulu followed by two weeks quarantine in the Marshall Islands — one of the strictest covid-19 prevention entry protocols in the world.

These strict quarantine requirements have kept the Marshall Islands covid-19 free.

“The seven positive tests represent new infections and these individuals do not pose an infectious threat to the community as they remain in secure and monitored quarantine on Kwajalein,” said Health Secretary Jack Niedenthal in statement released Friday night.

“All individuals remain asymptomatic or have mild symptoms and in addition to the protection provided by being vaccinated will also receive oral antiviral medication to prevent progression to severe forms of covid-19.”

Covid-19 prevention protocols
Marshall Islands covid-19 prevention protocols require that all people entering the country through its monthly controlled quarantine programme must be fully vaccinated and boosted. A 14-day quarantine is required.

However, due to the positive cases identified Friday, the 14-day period has been extended from Friday instead of from the group’s arrive on April 12.

“We’ve decided that every time someone tests positive in this group, the clock starts over at 14 days — so 14 days from now,” said Health Secretary Niedenthal.

“They get another test on day seven. If someone tests positive on day seven the clock starts again for 14 days.”

The seven positive cases identified Friday at Kwajalein brings to 14 the number of covid-19 positive cases in managed quarantine since mid-2020.

There has been no community transmission yet in the Marshall Islands, making it one of only a handful of countries globally to remain covid-19 free throughout the pandemic.

After more than a year of requiring two weeks of quarantine in Hawaii, with multiple covid-19 tests prior to departing to the Marshall Islands, government authorities reduced the Hawaii quarantine late last year to one week.

Hawai’i quarantine time reduced
With this group that went into quarantine last Friday in Honolulu, the Marshall Islands reduced its Hawai’i quarantine time to three days.

Two of the 74 people in quarantine in Hawai’i tested positive on their day-three tests and were not allowed to travel to the Marshall Islands.

These are the first border cases involving Marshall Islanders since November 2020. Three Americans in a separately managed Army repatriation group in January also tested positive for covid-19 in quarantine.

In January, as infections around the Pacific escalated due to spread of the omicron variant, Niedenthal warned that if the Marshall Islands got cases in quarantine, “we can’t afford any mistake. If people test positive in quarantine here, we have to be perfect (to prevent the spread)”.

Niedenthal noted that lapses in protocols governing quarantine operations in other Pacific islands led to border cases triggering community transmission.

Since it started managed quarantine operations in October 2020, the Ministry of Health and Human Services has required that all of the doctors, nurses and security personnel involved in the quarantine process live in the quarantine facility with each repatriation group as a way to prevent possible community spread in case a person tests positive during the quarantine.

That policy remains in effect with the current group in quarantine at Kwajalein.

No travel restrictions
“As these are border quarantine cases of covid-19, there are no restrictions of travel between Majuro and Kwajalein, and there are no travel restrictions between Kwajalein and neighbouring islands and between Ebeye and Kwajalein,” said the Health Secretary’s statement.

He also urged “all individuals aged five years and above (to get) fully vaccinated, which includes being boosted if eligible”.

The Ministry of Health and Human Services has provided booster shots as well as vaccinating people in the five to 11 age group since late last year.

Public health teams have been flying to remote outer islands to continue covid-19 vaccination services initially begun mid-last year to provide booster shots to adults, as well as vaccinate children.

Giff Johnson is editor of the Marshall Islands Journal. This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The US Army ignored agreed-to covid prevention rules for entry into the Marshall Islands this week and the result was the first border cases of covid in the Marshall Islands in more than a year.

Three US Army personnel tested positive for covid soon after arrival at the US Army Garrison — Kwajalein Atoll (USAG-KA) Tuesday while starting a two-week quarantine period for entry into the country.

Despite record-breaking numbers of covid cases in Hawai’i and the US mainland over the past several weeks, driven largely by the omicron variant, the Army brought in the largest group ever to come to Kwajalein in the weekly US Army repatriation groups since it started the process in June 2020.

The group arrived Tuesday this week following a one-week quarantine in Hawai’i to undergo an additional two weeks of quarantine at the Kwajalein base.

Of the 37 base workers and their families now in quarantine, three tested positive for covid. On Wednesday, Army authorities informed Marshall Islands officials of the positive cases in this group.

These are known as “border cases”.

The Marshall Islands is one of the few countries globally that has never had community transmission of covid in the two years since the virus appeared.

‘Clearly broke the protocols’
The 37 people in this weekly Army group were allowed to board the military flight to Kwajalein from Honolulu without waiting for the results from a covid test, “which clearly broke the protocols jointly agreed to by National Disaster Committee (NDC) and USAG-KA,” said Chief Secretary Kino Kabua, who chairs the Marshall Islands National Disaster Committee.

A negative covid test is required for anyone to fly from Honolulu to the Marshall Islands.

A public statement issued by the Office of the Chief Secretary Wednesday said all three positive cases are showing no symptoms and are in quarantine and isolated from the community at Kwajalein.

There were no border cases in either Kwajalein or Majuro for 14 months preceding this week’s development. This is primarily because a quarantine period in Hawai’i — two weeks for unvaccinated individuals, one week if vaccinated — coupled with three covid tests prior to departure to the Marshall Islands has ensured no border cases in the Marshall Islands for an extended period.

Last week’s Army group saw one person bumped off the flight when they tested positive for covid prior to departure from Honolulu. But this protocol was not followed this week.

“NDC had discussions with the colonel on Wednesday who stated it was a procedural error on their part,” said Kabua.

“He conveyed it was unacceptable that the situation occurred and that he had already brought his entire team to rectify the problem, including pulling back the authority to authorise the flights to his level.”

Monitoring of test results
Kabua added: “We reiterated the importance of adhering to the joint protocols and discussed additional measures to enhance collaboration at the technical-working level, especially the monitoring of test results coming out from Honolulu.”

Prior to the discovery of the three border cases, the Ministry of Health earlier this week issued a call to temporarily halt all repatriation for one month in light of the explosion of covid cases in Hawai’i, the US mainland and the world during the past month.

Hawai’i has been reporting between 1500 and 3000 new covid cases daily over the past several weeks after having only 57 cases as recently as December 7. The United States set a new record with more than 500,000 cases a day earlier this week.

The recommendation to “pause” repatriation was the lead point in a “Ministry of Health Emergency Covid-19 Resolution” issued January 3.

There is currently one Marshall Islands repatriation group tentatively scheduled for January and the Army brings in groups of its workers weekly.

The ministry recommended using a one-month pause on repatriation groups to enhance health and community preparation for the possible introduction of covid-19 omicron into the community, including vaccination, boosters and updating National Emergency Operations Centre plans.

The ministry also called on the government to “mandate covid-19 vaccination for healthcare workers, front-liners, civil servants and school aged children, including booster doses”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ. Giff Johnson is editor of the Marshall Islands Journal.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A second person with covid-19 who was isolating at home has died in New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.

In this afternoon’s covid media briefing, where it was revealed there were 163 new community cases of covid-19 today, Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said St John Ambulance attended a call this morning after an emergency call to an address in the suburb of Mount Eden and found a person dead on arrival.

The man in his fifties is understood to have been recently treated in hospital.

“Health authorities in Auckland are working with the police and ambulance crew to review the circumstances around the death,” Dr McElnay said.

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said it was his understanding the dead man was admitted to hospital on Monday and discharged himself from the hospital on Wednesday.

He said there had been phone contact with them on Wednesday and Thursday.

“I am confident in the system. Obviously when we introduce a new system like self-isolation we need to continully monitor it and that’s happening,” he said.

Looking at wider system
“Between the Ministry of Health and the Auckland regional public health, they’re looking at both these specific incidents, but also at the wider system.

“It’s important to note there are still enquiries going on about the cause of death at the moment and we’ve just got to all make sure we allow that to occur.”

Robertson said before it was decided that a person could self-isolate, there was a public health assessment of issues like the circumstances of someone’s accommodation.

A medical assessment also determined the person’s suitability as a candidate for self-isolation.

“We’re not in a position at the moment to be able to say what the cause of death was for either patient,” Roberston said.

Dr McElnay said the coroner would look at both deaths.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The New Zealand government revealed changes to MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) today, with stays halving from 14 to seven days, followed by isolation at home for three days.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield gave today’s update on the government’s response to the Delta outbreak.

There were 89 new community cases of covid-19 reported in New Zealand today — including two in Christchurch.

Watch it here

Today’s media briefing. Video: RNZ

Under the new MIQ regime, which will begin from November 14, arrivals must be fully vaccinated and will be tested on days 0, 3 and 6 and undertake a rapid antigen test before leaving MIQ, before a day-9 test at home.

He said this would free up about 1500 rooms a month in MIQ. Some of this would be taken up by community cases but some would go into the booking system for travellers from overseas.

Pacific border travel
The second step will be to reopen the border to low-risk travellers from Samoa, Tonga and Tokelau without isolation.

This one-way quarantine-free travel will begin from November 8.

The third step will allow more people to isolate at home, available to increasing numbers of travellers in the first quarter of 2022.

He said changes at the border will be linked to the traffic light system.

“The faster New Zealanders get fully vaccinated so that we can move to the traffic light system, the faster we’ll be able to open the border.”

He said New Zealanders will also understand that the government does not want to accelerate the spread of covid-19 around the country by lowering restrictions before we reach very high levels of vaccination.

Kiwis first priority
Hipkins said the first priority for allowing people into New Zealand was Kiwis and people who already had visas, followed by other groups like international students.

“Tourists are more of a challenge … what you will see though in the first part of next year will be quite different from the way we’ve been managing it over the past 18 months.”

Hipkins said stopping covid-19 at the border had been a priority and New Zealand’s ability to do so had led to levels of freedom over the past year and a half which were the envy of many other nations.

“As a country we owe a massive vote of thanks to our front-line MIQ and border workers,” he said.

Hipkins said in the meantime, the message to all New Zealanders was very simple – get vaccinated.

83 cases in Auckland
The Ministry of Health said 83 of the new community covid-19 cases were in Auckland and four are in Waikato.

Two were already reported in Christchurch yesterday, but the Hipkins said this afternoon that Cabinet had decided to keep the region at alert level 2.

Dr Bloomfield said there was one case in an MIQ worker, with work being done to identify if this was a community case.

Fifty of today’s cases remain unlinked. There are 293 unlinked cases from the past 14 days.

There are also seven cases in managed isolation

There are 37 people in hospital, with five in intensive care.

The four new community cases in Waikato today include three in Hamilton and one in Ôtorohanga, and are all contacts of existing cases.

Just three cases in the Waikato have not been epidemiologically linked to the outbreak, although they have been geneologically linked.

Yesterday there were 74 new community cases of covid-19 — 68 in Auckland and six in Waikato.

There have now been 2921 cases in the current delta outbreak.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Eighty-three covid-19 cases have been reported during the Indonesian National Games (PON-XX) being held in Papua as of yesterday afternoon, says Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

He said evaluation of the Games would improve public health protocols in future.

“The 83 cases are concentrated among the participants competing in several sports — judo, archery, roller skating, cricket and motocross — as well as originating from a number of provinces (Jakarta, East Java, Central Java and Bali)” Sadikin told an online media conference on community activity restrictions (PPKM).

According to the ministry’s observation, virus transmission occurred in the lodging as each room was occupied by four people and the PON participants often ate together, the minister said.

“It will be our evaluation to improve the implementation of health protocols in future events,” he said.

The implementation of the health protocols could still be improved by giving greater authority to the regional covid-19 handling task forces, he added.

Furthermore, he said that his ministry had noticed that seven infected athletes had returned to their provinces before the end of their five-day quarantine period.

One athlete returned to Tarakan City, North Kalimantan Province, two returned to Jambi Province, three to Sidoarjo District, East Java Province, and one to the Special Region of Yogyakarta Province, he said.

“The President [Joko Widodo] has urged the athletes to be quarantined at their hometowns,” Sadikin said.

Several standards had been set regarding the implementation of health protocols at the XX PON, including giving adequate authority to the task forces and maintaining distancing among participants at the hotels and hostels both while resting and eating, the minister said.

Other standards included conducting routine covid-19 PCR tests to identify infected participants faster and keeping isolation centers ready to quarantine patients immediately, he added.

• Asia Pacific Report notes that the Games were controversial because of repeated calls to postpone them given the public health risks from the covid-19 pandemic.

Desi Purnamawati and Uyu Liman are reporters with Antara News.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Northland will move to alert level 3 restrictions from 11:59pm tonight, New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister has confirmed.

Minister Chris Hipkins held a briefing at Parliament on the situation in Northland this evening.

The new restrictions will remain in place until 11.59pm Tuesday and will be reviewed at Cabinet on Monday.

Hipkins said the move was necessary following new information on the risk presented by a positive case initially tested in Whangārei earlier this week and confirmed in Auckland yesterday. The woman was now in an Auckland managed isolation quarantine facility.

“Updated information provided by the police today shows the case moved extensively around Northland after travelling there on October 2,” Hipkins said.

He said it was believed she did not travel alone and travelled with another woman, who was not yet in MIQ.

“We believe this new information warrants an alert level change decision to keep Northland people safe,” he said.

“It has also been taken because the individual has not been cooperative with contact tracing efforts.”

He said the woman had not supplied the reason for being in Northland.

Watch the news briefing

Video: RNZ News

“It has been very difficult to get information about this particular case,” Hipkins said.

“The first test result we had was what you could describe as an indeterminate test result, so it was quite difficult to locate the person.

“The information that they supplied when they were tested the first time did not provide sufficent information to be able to contact them with the test result and get them back to be tested.

“It took some time to track them down, the police ultimately were able to assist there and did help to track the person down.”

Hipkins said he understood the woman obtained a document by providing false information to leave Auckland but this was yet to be verified. When it was discovered and revoked they were already in Auckland.

The first locations of interest for Northland have been added to the Ministry of Health’s website.

They include BP Connect Wylies petrol station and the Z Kensington service station in Whangārei.

Northland vaccination rates low
Hipkins said another factor taken into account was that vaccination rates in Northland were low compared to the national average.

“Without placing restrictions on movement there is a possibility that the virus could spread quite rapidly within the community.”

It is one of the least-vaccinated regions – just two thirds of residents have had their first Pfizer dose.

“Cases spreading at alert level 2 are a risk we cannot take, but it’s also further reason why we need to really focus on vaccinations,” said Hipkins. “Without high vaccination rates we will need to continue to use restrictions to stop the virus spreading.

“I have two things to ask of Northlanders. First, if you have any cold and flu like symptoms please come forward and get a test as soon as possible.”

“The second request that I have and I can’t stress this enough, is please get vaccinated. These cases do highlight the risk of Covid-19 to the unvaccinated anywhere in the country.

“Now is the time to be vaccinated.”

Northlanders ‘stay in bubble’
Hipkins reminded Northlanders that alert level 3 meant they had to stay in their bubble and stay at home.

“Don’t go and visit family, friends and neighbours, this is a virus that can spread quite quickly and that is part of the way it spreads.”

Speaking to RNZ Checkpoint after the announcement, Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said she was “actually quite grumpy”.

“We’ve got a person who really has done everything that they should not do. And they’ve impacted on all of Northland as a result.

“I was giving the person the benefit of the doubt earlier today. Now I’m just ropeable.”

Epidemiologist Michael Baker said without full cooperation with contact tracers, public health staff are reliant on swabbing and wastewater results to track the virus’ spread.

Professor Baker said the Te Tai Tokerau situation was “really concerning” and the lockdown “had to be done”.

With Northland entering level 3, Auckland in a level 3 with benefits, and Waikato in level 3 restrictions, he told Checkpoint there needed to be clarity on what strategy New Zealand was pursuing against covid-19.

“We’ve actually had very confused messages this week about a number of things, including what comes after elimination, which we seem to be transitioning out of. That hasn’t been made clear,” he said.

“Also how are we going to use the alert level system? Because Auckland is using a stepped approach, they’re stepping up. The rest of the country’s got alert levels and is stepping down. There’s also a version of a traffic light system that’s been proposed circulating at the moment.

“So I think this week has really been quite poor for clarity of communication and coherence.

“The government really has to sort out where we’re going. And one of the approaches I think we should look at would actually be a regional approach.”

Professor Baker said suppression could be pursued in Auckland while an elimination strategy could work in the South Island.

There were 44 new cases of Covid-19 reported in the community today, including three in Waikato.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Another 13 crew from the quarantined fishing vessel Viking Bay have tested positive to covid-19, New Zealand’s Ministry of Health says.

Two crew had previously been reported as confirmed with the virus.

All 15 mariners have been transferred to an a quarantine facility onshore in Wellington.

Five remained on board to maintain the safety of the vessel and have returned negative test results so far. The ministry said they would be tested again in coming days.

Of the crew who had now returned a positive result, 12 were regarded as being in the early stages of their infection. One returned a result indicating either a very early infection or a historical infection.

The initial two mariners to test positive were in a group of nine who arrived in Auckland on 5 July without having to quarantine. They had provided negative covid-19 tests before they flew into Auckland and had been driven to New Plymouth as part of the ship’s crew change.

One of the crew was confirmed last week to have the delta variant. No link had been shown between this case and any other cases previously identified in New Zealand, the ministry said.

Genome sequencing begins
Genome sequencing of the 13 positive test results will begin today.

Slightly over half of the crew had been at sea since February.

The Viking Bay was anchored off the coast of Taranaki for almost a week after being denied permission to dock in New Plymouth, and sailed into Wellington on Monday.

The ministry said plans were in case any of the five crew members remaining on the Viking Bay developed symptoms or be confirmed with covid-19.

Bringing the ship back into port and transferring the crew to an onshore quarantine facility allowed the public health risks to be managed appropriately, and the crew to be kept in isolation until they had completed their 14 days isolation and recovered, the ministry said in a statement.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji Health Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong says the breach at the quarantine facility in Nadi was an incident waiting to happen.

He was reported saying this by Fiji Village News as reports of random announcements of new cases were being made with journalists citing 10 active cases in Fiji.

The quarantine facility was an operation run by human beings and no quarantine process in the world had been 100 percent full proof, Dr Fong said.

He said that every single quarantine system in the world had been breached.

He added that the ministry had got a lot of community support on the first night of operations when officials were looking for 310 people that were now in quarantine.

Dr Fong said Rosie Holidays gave them vehicles and told them to use them while Pacific Destinations told them they would go anywhere to help the ministry reach those people.

He said there were other people who came forward with help and this assistance allowed them to secure the 310 people in 12 hours which was a “huge achievement”.

Containment plan
The ministry’s biggest priority at the moment was getting the containment plan working and the exercise of going through the whole of Lautoka and Nadi was a huge logistical exercise.

He also said there would be 19 screening locations in the Central Division by tomorrow and locations were also being set up in the Northern Division.

Spread the word: #TeamFiji

If you or someone you know was @ a funeral (reguregu & burial) in Lautoka on Fri April 16 & Sat April 17; YOU COULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED to #covid19

Please call 158 and give them information that could help the government get #covidcontained once more! pic.twitter.com/xAPngLp9L8

— Lice Movono (@LiceMovono) April 20, 2021

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Caledonia, one of the Pacific territories to have avoided the covid-19 pandemic so far, is to go into strict two-week lockdown after detecting nine cases, reports Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes.

The outbreak on the French archipelago was detected after a school headteacher fell ill on the Wallis and Futuna islands leading authorities to screen for cases, France 24 reports citing AFP.

“According to the first indications, the patient developed symptoms in mid-February and could have been infectious in Wallis and Futuna from the end of January,” the president of the terrotorial government in New Caledonia, Thierry Santa, told reporters.

Travel between the two French territories had previously been unrestricted, while anyone arriving from elsewhere had to undergo a strict 14-day quarantine in a hotel.

Santa announced a two-week lockdown for New Caledonia starting from Monday evening, to “break the transmission of the virus while there is still time”.

The islands had previously succeeded in stopping community transmission of the novel coronavirus, which has reached almost all corners of the globe.

New Caledonia was once used as a penal colony by French authorities owing to its remote location from Europe. It has a population of 288,000 and Wallis and Futuna have a population of 15,000.

RNZ Pacific reports it is almost a year since the first covid-19 case was diagnosed in French Polynesia. This was also was the first in the Pacific Islands.

Maina Sage, a member of the French National Assembly, brought the virus from Paris, triggering a sharp lockdown.

#DirectLNC #LncPays Covid-19 : 9 cas positifs, la Calédonie confinée pendant 15 jours https://t.co/xZhqGVMgrH

— Les Nouvelles calédoniennes (@lncnc) March 7, 2021

But once the virus had been eliminated, Tahiti and its island opened for tourists but saw covid-19 spread throughout the community and infect thousands.

Now the borders have again been shut on orders from Paris.

French Polynesia has had 18,452 covid cases and 140 deaths. The population is 280,000.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

New Zealand today reported one new community case of covid-19 – the first in five days.

There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the source of the community case was still being investigated.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service has identified all close contacts, who have been isolated and tested.

The other case has been detected in a recent returnee in a managed isolation facility.

The number of active cases continues to fall with five recovered cases today, leaving a total of 67.

Four people are in hospital with covid-19 – one each at Auckland City and North Shore hospitals and two in Middlemore. None of them are in ICU.

The ministry said 34 are imported cases in isolation and quarantine facilities, and 33 are community cases.

Total confirmed cases 1460
The total number of confirmed cases of covid-19 is now 1460

More than 900,000 tests have now been carried out in New Zealand, with another 8359 processed yesterday.

There were no new cases of covid-19 reported in New Zealand yesterday – the first day with zero cases since early August, when the Auckland cluster was revealed.

The last community case before today was reported on Monday.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

• All RNZ coverage of covid-19
• If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP – don’t show up at a medical centre.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Port Moresby may need to expand its covid-19 isolation facilities quickly and effectively in case a big spike in cases occurs, a doctor says.

Rita Flynn isolation facility manager Dr Gary Nou said it would be a disaster if the spread of covid-19 in the capital city continued to increase “exponentially”.

He said the Rita Flynn facility had 50 beds and 38 patients on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Al Jazeera coronavirus live updates – WHO says ‘vaccine nationalism’ cannot beat the virus

The facility can accommodate 76 beds, and possibly be stretched to 100 if needed. But it cannot exceed 100.

The number of cases in Port Moresby reached 139 on Wednesday (the national total was 163) – with the number of active cases well above 50.

Dr Nou said one of the biggest problems faced at Rita Flynn was sanitation.

The facility has only four toilets for men and four for women.

Room for up to 100 people
He said the facility might have to isolate up to 100 people at any one time.

There is an option of using the Taurama Aquatic Indoor Centre and hospitals as isolation centres.

“If we don’t isolate (positive cases), we are letting the infection spread in the community,” Dr Nou said.

One plan was to have mild cases isolated in a bigger facility, moderate cases isolated at Rita Flynn, and the critically sick isolated at the Port Moresby General Hospital or in an intensive care unit facility.

The trend globally is that 85 percent of the cases are mild and asymptomatic, and 15 per cent require some form of medical care, with 5 per cent of those requiring critical to high dependency care.

“Say we have 1000 positive cases, 15 per cent of that (150) will need oxygen or some kind of therapy or care, and 5 percent of that will need to go to the Port Moresby General Hospital,” he said.

“Even 1000 cases is too much.

‘Flatten the curve’
“That’s why we keep telling people to flatten the curve by washing hands, wearing mask and maintain social distancing.

“It is about slowing the spread so that we don’t have the hospitals overwhelmed. We can manage slowly.

“We need to slow down the spread so that not many people will go to the hospital at the same time.”

He also pointed out that there were also non-coronavirus patients to think about who needed special care.

“If the Intensive Care Unit is full of covid-19 patients, a snakebite patient who also needs ventilation may die because all the ventilators are taken up,” he said.

Meanwhile, acting Health Secretary Dr Paison Dakulala said the surge in cases in Port Moresby, Morobe and other centres was worrying.

He said the capacity of the Rita Flynn facility could be expended but the problem was the lack of sanitation.

Dr Dakulala said work led by the NCD Health Authority to establish swabbing and testing sites in the city was continuing.

Lulu Mark is a reporter for The National newspaper in Port Moresby.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Grey Power is enraged by what it says is the “stupid and dangerous” behaviour of people fleeing managed isolation facilities, and says they need the book thrown at them.

A person broke a window and absconded from an Auckland hotel on Friday, the fourth such escape in a week.

The person was picked up by police about an hour later and tested negative for covid-19 in their day-three test.

READ MORE: Al Jazeera coronavirus live updates – WHO reports record daily increase in covid cases

Earlier last week a man who was later found to have covid-19 left an Auckland isolation facility and went to a nearby supermarket.

Grey Power president Mac Welch said the shocking conduct risked spreading covid-19 into the population – with older people particularly vulnerable.

“They’re playing with people’s lives, they’re playing with all the hard work that the citizens of New Zealand put into containing [covid-19] and beating it,” Welch said.

“It is just so wrong, it infuriates me and I’m sure it infuriates a hang of a lot of other Kiwis.”

Welch said everyone who escapes from isolation facilities needs to be punished severely.

“None of the soft, cuddly touchy rubbish that we keep seeing continuously with these people, they need to be hammered to the full extent of the law.

“If these people, who have been looked after and waited on hand and foot, are going to abuse the privilege – lock them up.

“Don’t muck around, lock them up.”

People charged under the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act can face either six months’ imprisonment or a $4000 fine.

The National Party said the government’s ineptitude was putting the public at risk.

Party spokesperson for Covid Recovery Amy Adams said the public were right to expect the government to be able to keep people from getting out of the quarantine hotels.

“It should not be beyond the capacity of the government and public service to do that.

“It is a failure from the top down and … despite repeated assurances that they are on to it and things will be different now this stuff keeps happening.”

Adams said there needed to be a zero tolerance approach to any chance of public contamination from any returning New Zealanders.

“We need to do whatever security and whatever restrictions are required for that to happen.”

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Health Minister Chris Hipkins says New Zealand’s latest case of covid-19 will be charged for breaching isolation and visiting a central Auckland supermarket last night.

Hipkins said the 32-year-old man, who arrived from India on July 3, left his managed isolation last night to go to the Countdown supermarket on Victoria Street in Auckland city.

The man was outside the facility for 70 minutes.

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Hipkins said after CCTV footage was viewed and the man was interviewed, the current assessment of the risk to the public was low.

“The person wore a mask although indicated that was removed for short periods of time,” he said.

In a statement, Countdown said the supermarket closed for cleaning at 8.15 this morning and will reopen tomorrow.

The company said it was “incredibly disappointed that this has happened given the potential for an incident like this to put our team and customers at risk”.

‘Self isolating as precaution’
“We have asked all of our team that were working last night, including the nightfill team, to self isolate as a precautionary measure. They will get tested over the next few days and we are offering them any and all support they need.”

Today’s covid-19 media briefing. Video: RNZ News

Officials do not know what the man purchased from the supermarket.

Hipkins said all covid-19 facilities were on standby and people needing a test would have no problems getting one.

Individuals within these facilities need to “play by the rules”, he said.

“These are acts of selfishness and we intend to use the full weight of the law.

“My understanding is he left through a smoking area where the fences were being replaced,” Hipkins said.

Air Commodore Darryn Webb, head of Managed Isolation and Quarantine, said the smoking policy – as well as the security policy – will be looked at.

Robust system in place
He said there was a robust system in place “however, as we’ve seen, we can always do better”.

Webb said there was a guard outside Stamford Plaza when the man left.

The security guard watched the man leave but wasn’t sure if the man leaving was a contractor, Webb said.

“They don’t have the powers of police to apprehend…clearly it’s about communicating…if it’s logical that they take chase then that’s what they do.

“It certainly looks like it was a spur of the moment idea,” Webb said.

CCTV footage showed that no one else had left Stamford Plaza, Webb said.

Hipkins said the hotel was a managed isolation facility, not a “maximum security prison”.

Police called immediately
In a full statement, Webb confirmed that the man will be charged.

“Around 6.50pm the man escaped through a fenced area at the Stamford Plaza when he was out smoking, as a section of external fencing was being replaced. Security attempted to follow the man but were unsuccessful in locating him.

“Police were called immediately, and enquiries were underway to locate the man including reviewing CCTV footage and undertaking substantial area searches, before he returned to the facility where he was then interviewed by police.”

The man walked to the supermarket on foot and purchased items at a self-service checkout, before returning to the hotel about 8pm.

“Once the man’s movements were established, police visited the supermarket and ensured the self-service checkout and the areas entered by the man were cleaned.

“CCTV footage from within the supermarket has confirmed there was no close contact between the man and any staff or customers during his time there.”

‘Actions completely unacceptable’
Police are looking at other CCTV footage to figure out the man’s movements in the Auckland CBD.

“The actions of this man are completely unacceptable. Returnees are given clear instructions and information about what their responsibilities are. Managed isolation is a critical part in our defence against covid-19, and it is up to each and every person entering this country to play their part.

“We take any breach of the covid-19 rules very seriously. Wilfully leaving our facilities will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will be taken.”

The fencing in place at all managed isolation facilities is being replaced with 6 feet-high fences.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape says an aircraft with four Chinese businessmen on board had complied with requirements before they were allowed to fly into Port Moresby.

The government has also confirmed that another case of covid-19 has been detected in Papua New Guinea – a second soldier, taking the country’s total to 10.

Responding to questions from EMTV News, Marape said that no quarantine measure was broken as the Chinese businessmen came in under the request of Minister Wera Mori and measure no. 2 paragraph 12 was used to allow them not to quarantine – but instead self-quarantine in a hotel while conducting business.

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The four Chinese nationals were tested 14 days prior to their arrival, with the results negative, allowing them to arrive under strict self-quarantine measures.

The Prime Minister’s comments come after the opposition Peoples’ National Congress Party (PNC) leader and former prime minister Peter O’Neill called on Marape to state clearly their business of travel and why the 14-day quarantine period did not apply to the four foreigners.

Marape also said that at some point the country needed to open its border to allow for business to operate normally. This would be the first step.

Murray Barracks soldier positive
RNZ News reports that Police Commissioner David Manning had said the new covid-19 case was a 27-year old member of the PNG Defence Force, who worked at the Murray Barracks in Port Moresby.

The case was picked up during mass testing of staff at the barracks where PNG’s 9th case was recorded last week in a visiting Australian soldier.

“The identification of this case provides evidence of local transmission in Port Moresby and the risk is very high that more cases may be identified in the coming days. Papua New Guineans need to take responsibility and remain vigilant to stop the chain of transmission,” Manning said.

“The country needs to work together to apply the ‘Niupela Pasin’ or the ‘new normal’. This will involve changing our old ways of doing things and replacing them with behaviours and actions to reduce risk of getting infection.”

The commissioner has urged people in the PNG capital to maintain social distancing and avoid mass gatherings.

Meanwhile, Manning said that PNG’s 9th covid-19 case had safely returned to Australia.

Adelaide Sirox Kari is an EMTV News reporter.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz