Papua New Guinea has recorded five new cases of the coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed infections in the country to seven, Prime Minister James Marape says.
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He said the new cases were "well and under observation and in quarantine", The National newpaper reported on Monday.
The new cases include a 12-year-old boy, two men and two women, with three of them being traditional border crossers from Western Province bordering Indonesia's Papua province.
The first two COVID-19 cases in PNG were a 40-year-old expatriate who arrived from Spain on March 14 and has since returned home and a female health worker in East New Britain province who is isolated in her home village.
One of the new virus cases is a colleague of the health worker and another is an agriculture and quarantine inspection worker at Jacksons Airport in Port Moresby.
Marape said work colleagues of the Port Moresby case were being tested for the virus and rapid response teams were in Western Province doing contact tracing from the cases there.
PNG's State of Emergency Controller David Manning on Sunday imposed a daily curfew from 8pm to 6am over the next two weeks for the National Capital District, that covers Port Moresby, and Central and Western provinces.
Marape called on Papua New Guineans to remain calm.
"Stop worrying and start seriously practising health messages we have been advocating," he said.
"If you faithfully observe these instructions you will protect yourself and your family and stop the spread of Covid-19."
Australian Associated Press
