Police Commissioner, David Manning. Photo: PNG police
Papua New Guinea's Department of Foreign Affairs is working to assist citizens stranded abroad who want to return to the country.
That's according to police commissioner David Manning, who is the head of PNG's state of emergency in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With global travel restrictions now widespread, a number of PNG citizens are stranded abroad.
Mr Manning said the department was looking at what can be done to help them get home when the country's 14-day State of Emergency is reviewed next week.
Information from the department states 23 citizens are stranded in Australia, one in Malaysia, 4 in Singapore, while the body of a citizen who died from a non Covid-19 related cause is to be repatriated from Thailand.
Mr Manning said the department has developed its Consular Response Plan and will be submitting this to the Covid-19 Joint Agency Task Force team to see how citizens abroad can be supported and brought back to the country.
The department says development partners have pledged assistance to PNG's ongoing security, health and economic response to the pandemic.