By Eleanor Gee

The Tongan Embassy in Beijing has been keeping tabs on Tongan nationals across China, including 49 students to ensure they are looked after, as new cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to climb.

The Embassy's First Secretary, Tupou Vaipulu, told Matangi Tonga, the students are between the ages of 18-35 years-old, including 41 on Chinese scholarships, four in military programs, two privately funded students, and two on special scholarships.

“There’s also the sports teams who are currently here, which adds another 51 Tongan nationals to the current number here in China,” said Tupou.

There are around another 26 Tongan nationals, including those that work, their spouses and children “as well as the Ambassador and myself and our families”.

Current Situation

Like everyone else in China, Tupou said they have been following prevention and control measures advised by the Foreign Ministry and Health experts and also policies from the local government.

“This includes, staying indoors and only going outside if absolutely necessary; also by wearing protective gears including masks, gloves etc.”

“We also get in touch with Tongan nationals all over the country, including students to ensure they are getting the assistance and necessities they need during this time and liaising with their respective universities should they have any issues or concerns regarding their safety and health,” he said.

The Tongan Embassy is also working closely with the Chinese Embassy in Tonga to resolve any issues and concerns at both ends.

“We send reports to our Head Office in Tonga regarding the state of the Tongan nationals who are still here in China as well as updates on the state of the outbreak.”

Challenges

Tupou explained some of the challenges faced by the embassy when the COVID-19 outbreak was announced at the beginning of the winter holidays for students and Chinese New Year holiday.

This included pinpointing the exact location of students as some were travelling domestically and internationally.

“It is also a challenge to ensure that students understand the reasons why the extreme prevention and control measures are in place and the need to make some sacrifices and adapt to the new restrictions policy in place to minimize their risks of getting infected.”

“Also, there had been the overflow of inaccurate information being reported in different social media platforms and some local and overseas news outlets that creates panic and escalate worries for parents and relatives of students who are currently here in China,” he said.

Evacuation

The Tongan Embassy was also involved in organizing the ‘on the ground’ logistics for the evacuation of four out of five Tongan students who were in Wuhan. The four left on an Air New Zealand chartered flight organized by the New Zealand government on 5 February, and are quarantined in New Zealand.

They worked closely with the New Zealand Embassy in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hubei Foreign Affairs Office, Wuhan Foreign Affairs Office as well as the universities the students attended. The embassy also organized visa waivers to New Zealand, transportation to the airport including a healthy driver, and checkpoint passes to ensure safe passage to the airport.

“One student chose to stay behind on his own accord,” said Tupou.

“The four Tongan evacuees are currently under quarantine in New Zealand before heading back home to Tonga.”

As for the remaining students and Tongan workers in China, Tupou said that to date (13 February), and from the information provided to the Embassy, everyone is in good health.

The Johns Hopkins University’s analysis [2] of the COVID-19 cases, show there are a total of 60,364 confirmed cases as at 7:53am today, 14 February, with 59,826 inside China. There have been 1,370 deaths with 2 deaths outside China, and 6,292 have recovered in and outside China.