The Chinese Ambassador to Tonga HE Mr Cao Xiaolin presented USD$200,000 to Prime Minister Hon. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa to help Tonga’s preparedness and response to CoViD-19 today, 30 March.

The funds are part of the USD$1.9M China-Pacific Island Countries anti-CoViD-19 Cooperation Fund, recently established by the Chinese Government.

HE Mr Xiaolin said China commended all the efforts made by the Tongan government for this purpose.

“We are very lucky that there is no single confirmed case in Tonga even though the virus is raging in the world now. This is really a hard-won result.”

The Ambassador proposed, “we should turn this donation of cash from China into concrete anti-CoViD-19 measures in Tonga”.

“Even though we face the difficulty of decreased international flights now, I suggest that the Tongan government purchase enough personal protective equipment for combating the epidemic, so that the doctors and nurses will be well-equipped, the Tongan people will be well protected with personal protection stuff, and the whole society will fight outbreak in a calm and orderly manner,” he said.

Tonga is currently under a national lockdown that started from 1:00am Sunday 29 March, to 1:00am Sunday 5 April. While there are no identified CoViD-19 cases in Tonga, there are arrivals and other people still undergoing quarantine requirements.

Globally, CoViD-19 confirmed cases have reached 722,495, with 33,997 deaths. Sor far, 151,991 cases have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University [2].

The United States of America has surpassed all countries with the highest amount of people with CoViD-19 currently at 142,502, deaths at 2506, and only 4,856 recovered.