SYDNEY, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Prime Minister James Marape entered precautionary isolation on Thursday after potentially coming in contact with COVID-19, as the country recorded five new cases, taking the total to seven.
One of the new cases was a quarantine worker at the PNG's main airport who had also attended the country's National Operation Centre (NOC 19) on several occasions.
Police Minister Bryan Kramer said in a statement that the center was locked down and that Marape was among those tested for the disease.
"The prime minister and I were not at the center when it was locked down, however we both had our samples taken for testing as a precautionary measure," Kramer said.
Until the test results were returned, both Marape and Kramer said they would self-isolate and work from home, urging others to limit their movements as much as possible.
"Heed the call. Stay at home if you have no reason to move around." Marape said. "It only spreads when people are moving around."
Three of the other cases were from a village along the PNG-Indonesia border in the Western Province. Officials believe that they contracted the disease from traditional border crossings with Indonesia.
Another is a woman from the province of East New Britain who has been linked to a positive case in that region earlier in the month.
Kramer said testing would be ramped up in the areas where cases have appeared, and that contact tracing would be used in the case of the airport worker.
He added that while test kits were in short supply due to the high global demand, the country was working to source more.
"Right now it is important to remain calm and vigilant in looking after ourselves and each other, and encourage everyone to adhere to and observe the state of emergency," Kramer said.
"To fight the spread of this virus, we need less people to be on the streets, in buses, in shops, in banks or in the market." Enditem
