Tonga to undergo lockdown as it reports first COVID case

Nuku’alofa, Tonga: Government has announced lockdown for a week after Tonga island confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 mutant. The lockdown will be imposed only to the island of Tongatapu, which will be in effect after Tuesday midnight. Schools, bars and restaurants will be closed, and night-time curfews will be imposed. 

The citizens would be required to remain at their house unless they are in need to buy groceries or medicine, get medical help, or access banking services.

Prime Minister – Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa made the announcement noting that the government will ensure the safety of its citizens.  

After the first COVID-19 case was recorded on the island, it created a panic among the citizens and individuals rushed to the vaccination sites for getting themselves vaccinated. The data reveals that atleast 31 per cent of the island’s population is fully vaccinated with taking the required number of doses, while 48 per cent are vaccinated with one dose. 

The individual who tested positive for the contagious virus was among the 215 passengers who arrived on a flight from – Christchurch on Wednesday. 

New Zealand health officials noted that the traveller to Tonga was fully vaccinated with the required number of Pfizer vaccines and tested negative before leaving the country. 

Tonga’s frontline workers – including health staff, police officers and airport staff – who were on duty when the plane arrived have also been put into quarantine. Tonga lies about 2300km north of New Zealand and was among the few countries that were safe from the ray of coronavirus due to its strict isolation policy. This case has engraved fear among the citizens of Tonga. 

About Tonga – 

Tonga is a Polynesian kingdom of over 170 ‘South Pacific islands, many uninhabited, most lined in – white beaches & coral reefs and covered with tropical rainforest. Its main island, Tongatapu – is protected by lagoons and limestone cliffs. It is home to the rural capital of Nuku’alofa, as well as beach resorts, plantations and the Ha’amonga ʻa Maui, a monumental coral gate from the 1200s.