Tonga go into Covid lockdown after aid delivered after cases recorded in Nuku’alofa

Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said on Tuesday two-port workers had tested positive. Officials later confirmed three more cases in family members.

The South Pacific nation had previously managed to stay virus-free.

The outbreak comes as Tongans try to recover from a deadly volcanic eruption and tsunami which left three dead and damaged homes and infrastructure.

Tonga had avoided Covid outbreaks by closing its borders to the outside world in early 2020.

But since the eruption, it has been heavily dependent on foreign aid for supplies of fresh drinking water, shelter kits and rescue equipment.

So far, foreign aid deliveries there have been handled using contactless protocols to stop the virus from spreading from abroad.

They include leaving humanitarian supplies in isolation for three days before they are handled by Tongans.

Australia, New Zealand, the United States, China, France, Fiji and the UK have all sent ships carrying supplies.

Last week, however, a Covid outbreak hit the HMAS Adelaide – a crucial Australian relief ship bound for the island nation – with dozens of crew members infected.

The ship eventually docked at the capital’s port. The Tongan government is investigating but says it does not believe there is a link to the vessel.

The Australian Defence Force’s operations chief said on Wednesday workers who tested positive had been working in a different area of the port to where the warship was and said there was “no evidence” the cases were linked.

The ship will take back samples from the Tongan cases so that an Australian health facility can assess the strain and find out which country it came from.

In a national address late on Tuesday, Mr Sovaleni confirmed the Covid cases and said Tonga would enter lockdown from 18:00 local time (05:00 GMT) Wednesday, with the situation reviewed every 48 hours.