Papua New Guinea to impose 'harsh control measures' as Covid outbreak spirals

Month-long restrictions to come into force as officials warn virus could rip through PNG's fragile health system like a tornado'

Papua New Guinea will go into a month-long nationwide isolation in an effort to arrest a spiralling Covid-19 outbreak that threatens to rip through the country's fragile health system like a tornado", health officials say, shutting hospitals and leaving wards without sufficient staff.

Hospitals across the country have already been forced to shut wards and departments, overwhelmed by a combination of staff becoming infected with the coronavirus, surging patient demand, and swingeing budget cuts.