Coronavirus: Australia says ‘no evidence’ aid warship brought infections to volcano-hit Tonga

Tonga imposed a lockdown after two workers in Nuku’alofa’s port, where aid has been pouring in since the January 15 volcanic eruption, tested positive for Covid-19

A senior general said the outbreak ‘doesn’t appear to have evolved from the virus-stricken HMAS Adelaide’ that docked in the island to unload supplies

Reading Time:5 minutes

Australia’s HMAS Adelaide docked in Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Photo: Australian Defence Force via AP

Published: 9:02am, 2 Feb 2022Updated: 9:18pm, 2 Feb 2022

Australian defence chiefs on Wednesday said a warship delivering aid to Tonga was not the source of an outbreak that has plunged the previously coronavirus-free Pacific kingdom into lockdown.

Residents of the remote island nation, struggling to recover from a deadly volcanic eruption that triggered huge tsunami waves, were ordered to stay at home on Wednesday after two port workers tested positive in routine testing in the capital Nuku’alofa.

They were the first community cases recorded in the nation of 100,000 people, with officials later confirming another three family members, including two children, also had the virus and were in isolation.

A woman carries a refilled gas container in Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa on Wednesday ahead of the country’s first lockdown. Covid-19 has been detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from the deadly January 15 volcanic eruption and tsunami. Photo: AFP

Tonga had previously recorded only one case of the virus in quarantine at the border, which was deemed a historical case with the individual no longer considered infectious at the time of testing.

Kupu, a journalist at Tongan radio station BroadcomFM, said locals queued at shops and banks on Wednesday morning ahead of the lockdown beginning at 6pm, with panic buying occurring as people tried to stock up on food.

It is unknown how long the country will be in lockdown, with health officials to provide an update every 48 hours, according to local news site Matangi Tonga.

Supplies in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, last week after HMAS Adelaide carried in disaster relief and humanitarian aid. Photo: Australian Defence Force via AP

Tongans have feared losing the country’s virus-free status since foreign ships began delivering humanitarian aid in the wake of the January 15 eruption.