Tonga's national lockdown was extended today for another week, effective Sunday, April 5 to April 12, with restrictions on roadside vegetables vendors lifted.

Prime Minister Hon Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa announced this afternoon, that a Cabinet decision has renewed the National Lockdown Notice, on March 26 for all land and seas of Tonga.

The renewal is from 1:00am on Sunday, April 5 to 1:00am Sunday, April 12, unless further renewed.

At the moment, only services designated essential are operating.

On Saturday, April 4, restriction will be lifted for village roadside market vendors and mobile markets (selling fish and food crops). However, the main markets remain closed.

Other restrictions will be lifted effective Monday, April 6 only for agricultureal and fisheries export activies, existing project constructions (rebuild of schools and homes damaged by Tropical Cyclone Gita).

Sea transport within Ha'apai, Vava'u and Niua will be allowed, however the main inter-islands ferry services would remain closed.

Tonga remains vigilant in efforts to prevent the importation of COVID-19 into Tonga. Its borders remain closed indefinitely.

Incoming passengers

Ministry of Health CEO, Dr Siale 'Akau'ola said the reason for the extension of the national lockdown is to allow more time to follow up on passengers that flew in to Tonga from New Zealand and Fiji between 19 - 21 March and to check if they have any symptoms.

He said they were taking extra precautions.

On 19 March, travel advisory number 5 came into effect requiring foreign passengers to quarantine themselves for 14-days prior to arriving in Tonga, including Australia.

And prior to that, travel advisory number 4 only required foreigners who had travelled to China, South Korea, Iran and Italy to quarantine for 14-days outside of Tonga (excluding Tongan nationals, and permanent residents).

One of those flights, which left Australia for Tonga on 18 March, was diverted to Fiji because of a runway light outage [2] at Fua'amotu International Airport. After passengers and crew overnighted in Fiji, the flight arrived in Tonga on 19 March and passengers were required to self-isolate for 14-days.

Dr Reynold 'Ofanoa from the Ministry of Health told Matangi Tonga that there were tracking over 400 passengers that arrived in Tonga on 19 - 21 March. He said 285 passengers were identified and contacted via telephone yesterday.

Starting today, health workers were visiting these passengers to check whether they have the symptoms of CoViD-19.

Health are also trying to identify 161 passengers they could not reach via telephone. Passengers who arrived in Tonga on 19 March are urged to contact the Ministry of Health as soon as possible.

Tonga invoked a Public Health Emergency Order on March 13, and the Declaration of an Emergency Notifiable Condition.

This was followed by the declaration of a State of Emergency on 20 March.

The declarations gave government more power to enforce efforts to prevent or minimize the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (CoViD-19) within Tonga.

Now all but essential services will continue to remain closed for the week until 1:00am Sunday, April 12.