TONGA FACES LOCKDOWN AFTER FIRST COVID CASE DETECTED SINCE START OF PANDEMIC

Sat 30 October 2021:

After a tourist from New Zealand tested positive, the island nation of Tonga reported its first-ever case of COVID-19 on Friday.

Tonga is one of the few countries in the world that has not had an outbreak of the virus. Tonga’s isolation, like that of many of its neighbors, has kept it safe, but the country faces significant hurdles if the virus spreads due to its under-resourced health system.

In a radio speech, Tonga’s Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said the traveler was one of 215 passengers who landed on a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, on Wednesday and had been quarantined at a quarantine hotel.

According to news website Matangi Tonga, the prime minister planned to make an announcement on any future lockdowns on Monday.

Prime Minister said he had been advised against enforcing an immediate lockdown “because the virus will take more than three days to develop in someone who catches it before their become contagious”.

“We should use this time to get ready in case more people are confirmed they have the virus,” he added.

Fiji, a neighboring country, escaped major outbreaks until April, when the delta variant ravaged the island chain, infecting over 50,000 people and killing at least 673.

For months, Christchurch had been clear of the virus until this week, when four community cases were recorded after a returning resident contracted the virus in Auckland, where an outbreak had been spreading since August.

According to Matangi Tonga, Tongan Health Ministry chief executive Dr. Siale ‘Akau’ola said it was unfortunate the jet had already left Christchurch before word of the community cases arrived.

‘Akau’ola stated that after the positive case was established, all frontline employees, including health professionals, police officers, and airport officials, who were on duty when the plane arrived, were also quarantined. He went on to say that everyone who worked near the plane had been inoculated.

Tonga, which is located northeast of New Zealand, has a population of roughly 106,000 people. According to the research group Our World in Data, about 31% of Tongans are fully vaccinated and 48% have received at least one dose.

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