The Papua New Guinea government has ordered the mandatory wearing of face masks in Port Moresby following a spike in coronavirus cases amid concerns the country's fragile health system could not handle a large outbreak.
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PNG has now recorded 30 virus cases with the majority of the recent ones part of a cluster centred on Port Moresby General Hospital where lab technicians and other medical staff have tested positive.
The hospital has gone into emergency mode.
"We need to scale down services so that we clean out the entire hospital," CEO Paki Molumi told the ABC.
Prime Minister James Marape said new measures included the mandatory wearing of masks in public in Port Moresby to try to control community transmission, The National newspaper reported.
He called on city residents "not to be complacent or too relaxed because the Covid-19 is spreading".
"All the health measures which have been repeatedly announced in the media must be taken seriously to save lives," he said.
Marape said nightclubs could be banned but churches, restaurants and bars would remain open and the government was considering whether school classes could be staggered to allow wider spacing of students.
He said the police and the military would advise people on the restrictions.
The prime minister has previously warned that PNG's health system would not "have the capacity to deal with a widespread outbreak".
He said on radio talkback on Tuesday that PNG only had 177 ICU beds nationwide, 40 or so ventilators and a lack of masks.
"There is a severe lack of masks and we encourage districts to engage mothers to ... start sewing masks for use."
David Manning, PNG's COVID-19 pandemic controller David Manning said in a statement that the recent rise in cases was "of grave concern".
Australian Associated Press
