Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The South Pacific island nation of Tonga reported its first case of COVID-19 last Friday (29/10) since the start of the pandemic.
Tonga’s Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa confirmed the first positive case of a tourist who had traveled from New Zealand.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said the tourist arrived in Tonga on Wednesday after flying from Christchurch.
Tu’i’onetoa said all airport staff who came into contact with one of the passengers on the flight had been quarantined. He also warned Tongans to prepare for a possible nationwide lockdown following the case.
“We have to use this time to get ready in case more people are confirmed to have the virus,” he said.
Meanwhile, amid warnings of the national lockdown, thousands of Tongans rushed to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Tonga’s Minister of Health ‘Amelia Tuʻipulotu said the high demand for vaccinations over the past few days would increase national vaccination coverage.
“More people are coming because now we have coverage of the first dose of about 86% and the second dose of about 62%. So this is a huge number today and will increase the overall coverage of the first and complete vaccination,” Tu said.ʻipulotu.
For information, Tonga is a Polynesian country with more than 170 South Pacific islands and a population of about 100,000 people.
The archipelago is located about 800 kilometers (497 mi) east of Fiji and 2,380 kilometers (1,480 mi) from New Zealand. Although it has not reported any cases of COVID-19 until now, the island nation declared a state of emergency in March 2020 and closed its borders to foreign nationals.
Like other Pacific island nations, Tonga’s early actions protected it from a pandemic that could ravage the country, where 22.1% of the population lives below the national poverty line and medical facilities and equipment are limited.
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