Tonga tsunami: Island plunged into Covid lockdown sparked by infected aid worker
Tsunami-stricken island of Tonga is plunged into lockdown after infected AID WORKER caused its first ever Covid outbreak
Tonga will enter a Covid lockdown from 6pm on Wednesday due to an outbreak Several cases have been linked to the port, where aid workers have been arrivingOfficials say measures will be reviewed every 48 hours but are bracing for worst
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Tsunami-stricken Tonga has suffered another devastating blow as the South Pacific island is plunged into a Covid lockdown sparked by an infected aid worker.
Several Covid cases have been detected in the nation’s capital city Nuku’alofa, marking the country’s first ever outbreak of the virus.
Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said on Tuesday two cases were linked to the port, where humanitarian aid has been trickling in from overseas following the volcanic eruption and tsunami on January 14.
Tonga has been plunged into lockdown due to a Covid outbreak sparked by aid workers. Pictured: Humanitarian supplies being unloaded at Fua’amotu International Airport, near Nuku’alofa
Pictured: Tsunami waves begin to overwhelm coastal homes in Tonga last month after an ocean volcanic eruption
Another three cases have since been detected in a family, according to Tonga radio station Broadcom FM.
The country will enter lockdown from 6pm local time on Wednesday and will be reviewed every 48 hours.
‘The most important issue at the moment is to slow down and stop those who have been affected,’ Mr Sovaleni said in a press conference on Tuesday night.
‘No boat will be allowed to go from one island to another, no more (domestic) aeroplane flights’.
Covid-safety measures, including contactless handling of supplies, have been in place for all aid deliveries to prevent the spread of the virus.
Drew Havea, chair of the Civil Society Forum of Tonga, said the island-nation is bracing for case numbers to surge.
‘We assume the worst, that there are going to be more,’ he told the BBC from Nuku’alofa.
‘I think the hope now is that we all stick together and find out how big this thing is for Tonga.’
Pictured: Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s transport vessel ‘Osumi’, bound for Tonga in Hiroshima on January 24
It is the first time the tiny island has recorded community transmission after closing its borders to the outside world in early 2020 due to the pandemic.
Previously, there had only been one case of Covid reported in Tonga, which was identified last October.
Since an ocean volcanic eruption triggered a tsunami last month, foreign aid has been pouring in to help the disaster-struck nation access vital supplies.
South Pacific neighbours, like Australia and New Zealand, have led humanitarian efforts, delivering fresh drinking water, shelter kits, and rescue equipment.
Authorities were quick to implement Covid safety protocols amid fears aid personnel may bring the virus, with deliveries made contactless and international aircraft grounding times limited.
Relief ship HMAS Adelaide, which was filled with cargo bound for Tonga, was docked in the nation’s capital last week after suffering a Covid outbreak onboard.
Both Australian and Tongan authorities say the outbreak is not believed to be connected to the incident on the vessel, which saw 23 of the 600 crew members infected.
The Tongan government is currently investigating the cause of the newly identified cases, and will send samples to Australia – on board HMAS Adelaide – to undergo genomic testing to determine the strain and origin country.
While 83 per cent of Tonga’s population of 106,000 have received two doses of a Covid outbreak, there are fears remote island communities without adequate access to healthcare may be impacted should the virus spread.
