COVID-19 arrives in Tonga along with international aid and causes confinement

After being hit by disasters, Tonga will impose a lockdown starting Wednesday afternoon after the Pacific island nation reported that two port workers who had assisted in the distribution of international aid had contracted the virus. coronavirus.

Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni’s urgent announcement appeared to confirm fears among Tongan officials that aid flowing into the country following last month’s devastating volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami could also introduce COVID-19 into a nation hitherto living virus free.

Indeed, authorities had raised concerns that a coronavirus outbreak could pose a greater danger to Tonga than the tsunami, which caused three deaths and left dozens homeless. Several countries have sent aid by sea and air from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Great Britain and China.

These nations had promised to leave their supplies of drinking water and medicine without coming into contact with the people of Tonga, which normally requires a three-week quarantine for anyone entering the country.

But the threat was underscored when dozens of seafarers aboard the Australian aid ship HMAS Adelaide reported infections after an outbreak. Crew members aboard flights from Japan and Australia have also reported coronavirus cases.

The Matangi Tonga news site reported that the positive results came after authorities carried out diagnostic tests on 50 frontline workers at the port. The confinement is for an indefinite period, the site notes, and health authorities are expected to provide updates every two days.

Since the pandemic began, Tonga had only reported one case of coronavirus, that of a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was returning from Africa in October.

Tonga and several small Pacific nations, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, were some of the last places on the planet to have avoided any outbreak of the virus until recent weeks, thanks to their remote location and strict border controls. But its defenses don’t seem to be up to par with the highly contagious omicron variant.

The lockdown in Tonga comes as many homes and businesses remain without internet access after the tsunami severed the only fiber optic cable connecting Tonga with the rest of the world. Authorities expect repairs to be completed in one to two weeks.

About 61% of the 105,000 inhabitants of Tonga have a complete vaccination schedule, according to Our World in Data.