Repatriated passengers arrive from Fiji and Kiribati today [1]
Wednesday, September 2, 2020 - 21:16. Updated on Friday, September 4, 2020 - 17:50.
Two flights arriving in Tonga today repatriated around 56 passengers from Nadi, Fiji. Seven more passengers arrived from Tarawa, Kiribati, with the repatriation of a deceased person. A third flight arrived today from Tahiti for a fuel stop.
MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u told Matangi Tonga the flight from Fiji was a commercial flight that arrived at 1:05pm. The flight from Kiribati via Nadi was chartered by the Mormon church and arrived at 5:15pm.
The passengers are staying at the Tanoa Hotel for 14 days of quarantine. All passengers had tested negative for CoViD-19 before boarding the flights to Tonga.
They will be tested again for CoViD-19 after arriving at the Tanoa Hotel, and again on the 14th day of quarantine. If the final test results are negative, the passengers will be released to their homes where they will spend another seven days in home quarantine.
Deceased person
Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said the deceased person was a Tongan man who worked at Kiribati. He died there due to a short illness that was not related to CoViD-19.
Kiribati is currently a CoViD-19 free country.
With regards to the funeral, Dr ‘Akau’ola explained that the Ministry of Health will “supervise compliance”.
The deceased has been transported to the mortuary at Vaiola Hospital and will remain there for 72 hours. Paula Ma’u confirmed the family could then take the body for burial “for unrelated CoViD-19 death”.
Tongan patients in India
Meanwhile, Tongan patients who have completed their medical treatment in India are looking at ways to get back to Tonga.
They are trying to get on a flight to Fiji , and then on the next repatriation flight to Tonga.
Paula Ma’u said the Tongans in India didn't make it last week as [the] plane was full.
“They will try again this week to see if they have available seats to come from India.”
Air Tahiti flight
This morning an Air Tahiti flight from Papeete arrived at Fua’amotu International Airport.
Paul Karalus of Tonga's Air Terminal Services confirmed it was a ferry flight to Vanuatu and had stopped in Tonga to refuel.
No passengers or cargo were offloaded in Tonga.