the delta variant reported from western province increased to 22. citing phylogenic studies which suggested that the origin of the outbreak was in neighbouring indonesian papua province, national pandemic response deputy controller daoni esorom urged people to stop traveling illegally there. october 2021 a medical team arrived in the port moresby, joined by a british team soon after, to deal with a strong surge of infections caused by the delta variant in the country. the international federation of red cross and red crescent societies said that "concerted international action" was needed to support the country. november 2021 in early november, local media reported that the health system of the country was unable to cope with the wave of infections. in response, a new zealand medical and logistics support team with essential supplies was sent to the country, with most of them arriving on 13 november, to stay for prospectively one month. december 2021 experts warned that, due to the extremely low vaccination rate – less than five per cent in the adult population – , the country could become a breeding ground for a further mutation of the coronavirus. february 2022 prime minister james marape tested positive during a trip to china early in the month, and cut his visit short as a result. on 9 february, he released a statement saying that he was "doing well", and that "vaccination has really helped." he urged fellow png citizens to get vaccinated. on 16 february, the country reopened to vaccinated travellers, while some domestic restrictions remained. the countrywide vaccination rate was about four per cent as of that date. prevention measures the government of papua new guinea banned all travellers from asian countries and closed its border with indonesia, taking effect from 30 january 2020. on 16 april, due to additional confirmed cases in the national capital district (ncd) and the western province, the emergency controller issued national emergency order no. 16, effectively locking down the ncd. the order established an 8 pm to 6 am curfew, prohibited most public gatherings, limited groups to four people, banned public transportation, and suspended alcohol and betel nut sales. the order also prohibits domestic air travel and closes public venues such as gambling halls, night clubs, sports and sports clubs, and religious services. on 3 may 2020, the curfew for the national capital district and central province was lifted, alcohol restrictions have been lifted. gatherings remain banned, social distancing measures have to be enforced, and washing hands before entering church services is mandatory. on 5 may, the schools reopened; however, some schools required face masks and others have sent their students back again. the autonomous region of bougainville region has imposed flight restrictions on mainland png, whereby flights could only be approved charters or medevac trips until 13 august. statistics confirmed new cases per day cases by province province cases deaths population (2011) cases/100k