Tonga is not the only Pacific island country to experience its first COVID-19 outbreak over the past month.
But last month's volcanic eruption and tsunami brought outside deliveries of desperately needed fresh water and medicine — and the virus.
"Clearly when you've got countries that have already got a very stretched, and fragile health system, when you have an emergency or a disaster and then you have the potential introduction of the virus, that's going to make an already serious situation immeasurably worse," said John Fleming, the Asia-Pacific head of health for the Red Cross.
They decided they had to, but despite strict precautions unloading ships and planes from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Britain and China, two Tongan men who worked at the capital's Queen Salote Wharf handling shipments tested positive on Tuesday. Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni imposed an open-ended lockdown starting 6 p.m. on Wednesday. It could be particular arduous for Tongans because most have been without any internet connections since the volcanic eruption severed the fiber optic cable to the country.
Sailors aboard the Australian aid ship HMAS Adelaide reported nearly two dozen infections after an outbreak on board, but authorities said it had been unloaded at a different wharf. Crew members aboard aid flights from Japan and Australia also reported infections. He recommended that the government immediately start offering booster shots and open vaccinations to younger children.
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