There are more and more articles in world news about how PNG is finally (and unfortunately) facing COVID. The lived reality of COVID in PNG looks a bit chaotic and unruly. The hospitals in Port Moresby are really struggling with most of their staff out sick while huge portions of the population believe the whole thing is a complete lie. Despite public opinion the government is taking it as serious as it can, but restrictions are often reactionary and not well planned. The police are stopping all public transport coming into town in the mornings to make sure everyone on board has a mask. Domestic flying is only allowed if you can get a negative COVID test one day before your flight, but there are a shortage of tests making that nigh impossible. Australia is helping by redirecting and sending up vaccines, but we won’t see any of that here in Madang for a long time. Pray for PNG and the already severely compromised medical institutions facing an influx of patients. Pray for the countries all over the world that are waiting for leftover vaccines from their neighbors.

In the meantime, Gemma is certainly taking the new mask mandate seriously. We don’t actually go out and about with the girls much these days. We haven’t done for almost a year now. There are just too many people coming close to touch them or talk right in their faces. So forgive Gemma if she’s pretty sure the mask is meant to make up for the fact that Mama forgot her sunglasses on a rare outing. It is effective for the shading of eyes!! No worries, though, we have taught her the proper placement and she wears it willingly-ish.