Tonga’s State of Emergency due to the global CoViD-19 pandemic has been extended from 8:00pm today, Monday, September 28 until 8:00pm October 26.

The health State of Emergency was first declared by the Prime Minister, Hon Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa on March 12 earlier this year. Since then, it has been renewed on a monthly basis.

This is still necessary as part of the effort to prevent or minimize the spread of the COVID-19 within Tonga.

The Commissioner of the Tonga Police and the Chief of Defence Staff of His Majesty' s Armed Forces, as authorised officers under section 36(2) of the Emergency Management Act 2007, today made following Directions:

• Night-time curfews shall apply from 12:00 midnight to 5:00am.
• The night-time curfew shall be enforced by the Tonga Police, His Majesty's Armed Forces and relevant authorised officers.
• All activities and gatherings in Tonga shall -
• not exceed the maximum number defined as mass gathering (not exceeding a total of 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors in any gatherings except for religious services and education institutions);
• comply with social distancing (keeping 1.5 meters distance from any other person at all times); and
• comply with the Ministry of Health requirements for sanitation and hygiene.
• Funeral gatherings shall be restricted to a total of 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors with an authorised officer to be present throughout.

“Tonga Police and His Majesty's Armed Forces and any authorised officers for the purposes of securing public safety and maintenance of public health shall have the power to enforce these Directions.”

The directions also stated that:

• “All persons shall observe and promote social distancing at all times and shall use protective clothing where possible.
• “All persons shall observe personal hand hygiene and shall follow all Public Health Advisories issued by the Ministry of Health in relation to COVID-19.
• “All provisions of these Directions shall apply to all persons.”

World Health Organisation

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation reports that, as of 1:08pm CEST, 27 September 2020, there have been 32,730,945 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 991,224 deaths, reported to WHO.

The Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries to focus on four essential priorities:

• prevent amplifying events.
• Second, protect the vulnerable.
• Third, educate, empower and enable communities to protect themselves and others, using every tool at their disposal.
• And fourth, get the basics right: find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine their contacts.