Thursday  4  June 2020

A chartered Air Niugini aircraft will airlift 103 stranded Papua New Guineans on Friday, 5 June from the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu

State of Emergency Controller David Manning today announced that over 103 citizens will be taken back, most from the Republic of Fiji with 95 and eight from Vanuatu. In the outward journey of the ANG charter four citizens from Solomon Islands and 21 Fijians will be returning back to their countries.

“I apologise for the long wait. When our citizens return, they will be under strict quarantine at the designated facilities,” Mr Manning said and further warned that any breach of the quarantine orders is an offence. He urged citizens returning to strictly adhere to the order to stop any possible spread of COVID-19.

Mr Manning said the Solomon Islands High Commission has collected 650 Kilograms of Personnel Protection Equipment (PPE’s) that came in with the PPEs for Papua New Guinea donated by the Peoples Republic of China (China) and the PNG government will assist carry this to the Solomon Islands on this flight.

The flight departs early morning tomorrow (Friday 5th June 2020) and returns in the evening.

Mr Manning also confirmed 29 citizens moved back into the country from Indonesia through the Wutung Border post yesterday. The citizens are now under strict quarantine in Vanimo.

He said there is a worrying trend of increased cases in Indonesia and especially in the Papua region and in Jayapura.

“I urged all relatives not to visit those at the isolation facilities and those in isolation not to break or move out of quarantine. COVID-19 is a serious matter and therefore strict quarantine measures are necessary,” Mr Manning said.

Media contact: Chief Superintendent Dominic D. Kakas, BEM, DPS
Team Leader – COVID-19 Media & Public Information Joint Agency Task Force
Mobile: 75430557: Email: ddkakas@gmail.com