News and Public Notices

The latest from across Bougainville

Bougainville Health Response Team urges people to use hotline service

The Bougainville Health Response team have appealed to any persons feeling unwell to call the Bougainville Covid-19 Hotline number on 7446 0830. 

Health Secretary Clement Totavun encouraged those feeling unwell to simply call the hotline number or send a please call and staff on duty will return your call.

This is so that the Health teams can check people quickly and to identify Persons of Interest (or POIs) in the region.

As of Sunday April 5, Mr Totavun revealed that 316 persons were screened in Bougainville since the SOE orders were issued. Out of 316 screened, 301 have been cleared meaning they have been excluded to be POIs and the remaining 15 are POIs .Of the 15 POIs one had returned to Australia after he was checked, 10 of the POIs are currently in isolation and monitored for 14 days whilst 4 have completed the 14 days isolation and are cleared.

Mr Totavun further confirmed that there are two PUIs whose samples have been taken and are awaiting availability of flights to send the samples to Port Moresby for testing.

Meanwhile, the SoE Controller and Chief of Bougainville Police, Francis Tokura has appealed to the Constituency Members to update him on what activities they were doing in their constituencies in terms of conducting awareness on the virus.

"All Constituency Members were given funds to assist us with the awareness and I’m appealing for you to update me so that I assign police personnel to assist you so that we work together to stop the virus from coming to Bougainville," he said.

Mr Tokura also appealed to the people of Bougainville to understand the seriousness of the virus and take some sense of responsibility of our personal health and hygiene.

He said that reports have been received of citizens complaining that the virus would not affect them and called on everyone to take matter seriously.

All citizens have been reminded to:

  • practise good safe hygiene
  • wash hands for 20 seconds
  • practise social distancing
  • cough/sneeze into your elbow
  • simply stay at home.

[ Back to News ]