Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Eastern Highland Province, Papua New Guinea.
Public Health Intervention Research Program, Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Western Pac Surveill Response J. 2023 Mar 28;14(1):1-6. doi: 10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.1.998. eCollection 2023 Jan-Mar.
During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, face mask wearing was mandated in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in July 2020, but compliance was observed to be low. We aimed to determine the frequency of face mask wearing by the general public in Papua New Guinea under the mask mandate.
To estimate compliance with the mandate, we analysed photographs of people gathering in Port Moresby published between 29 September and 29 October 2020. Photo-epidemiology was performed on the 40 photographs that met pre-defined selection criteria for inclusion in our study.
Among the total of 445 fully visible photographed faces, 53 (11.9%) were observed wearing a face mask over mouth and nose. Complete non-compliance (no faces wearing masks) was observed in 19 (4.3%) photographs. Physical distancing was observed in 10% of the 40 photographs. Mask compliance in indoor settings (16.4%) was higher than that observed in outdoor settings (9.8%), and this difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). Mask compliance was observed in 8.9% of large-sized gatherings (> 30 people), 12.7% of medium-sized gatherings (11-30 people) and 25.0% of small-sized gatherings (4-10 people; photographs with < 4 people were excluded from analysis).
We found very low population compliance with face mask mandates in Papua New Guinea during the pre-vaccine pandemic period. Individuals without face coverings and non-compliant with physical distancing guidelines are considered to be in a high-risk category for COVID-19 transmission particularly in medium- and large-sized gatherings. A new strategy to enforce public health mandates is required and should be clearly promoted to the public.
2020 年 7 月，巴布亚新几内亚莫尔斯比港爆发新冠肺炎疫情，当地颁布了强制佩戴口罩的规定，但民众的遵守情况并不理想。本研究旨在确定在口罩令下，公众在巴布亚新几内亚佩戴口罩的频率。
为了评估民众对该命令的遵守情况，我们分析了 2020 年 9 月 29 日至 10 月 29 日期间在莫尔斯比港发布的公众聚会照片。我们对符合纳入本研究的预定义选择标准的 40 张照片进行了照片流行病学分析。
在总共 445 张可完全辨认的面部照片中，有 53 张（11.9%）口鼻均佩戴了口罩。有 19 张（4.3%）照片完全未遵守规定（无人佩戴口罩）。在 40 张照片中，有 10%的人遵守了保持身体距离的规定。室内环境下的口罩佩戴率（16.4%）高于室外环境（9.8%），差异具有统计学意义（<0.05）。在大型聚会（>30 人）中，有 8.9%的人遵守了口罩佩戴规定；在中型聚会（11-30 人）中，有 12.7%的人遵守了规定；在小型聚会（4-10 人）中，有 25.0%的人遵守了规定（小于 4 人的照片未纳入分析）。
我们发现，在疫苗接种前的大流行期间，巴布亚新几内亚民众对口罩强制令的遵守率非常低。没有佩戴口罩且不符合保持身体距离指南的个人被认为属于新冠肺炎传播的高风险人群，特别是在中型和大型聚会中。需要制定新的策略来执行公共卫生命令，并应向公众明确宣传。
