Pacific

PNG Police Commissioner cautions public against fake Covid-19 news

11:10 am on 8 July 2020

Papua New Guinea's Police Commissioner says rumours circulating in social media about new cases of Covid-19 in Port Moresby are false.

David Manning, who is also the Controller of the National Pandemic Response, cautioned the public from spreading misinformation and fake news, saying it is detrimental to public safety and is also a criminal offence under the country's cyber crime laws.

Mr Manning said any new cases will be confirmed and announced to the public through the National Control Centre.

Police Commissioner, David Manning. Photo: PNG police

He said people should get information from reliable sources and to not share anything from unverified platforms.

To date, Papua New Guinea has 10 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with the last case confirmed on 25 June.

The 9th case has been repatriated to his home country, while the other two last cases which are still active are being monitored.

Mr Manning said the threat of Covid-19 remains, and urged everyone to continue "niupela pasin" public health measures:

The rapid response team of the PNG's National Capital District continues to conduct case investigation and contact tracing, in collaboration with the teams from the Health Department, the PNG Defence Force, the Australian Defence Force, St John Ambulance and the World Health Organization.