200 repatriated passengers to arrive next week [1]
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 - 16:46
Two repatriation flights are scheduled to bring 200 passengers in total to Tonga from Brisbane and Auckland next week, on 29 and 30 October the Ministry of Health CEO, Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola confirmed today.
Repatriated passengers will comprise of mostly seasonal workers, with others, he said.
“The total number for these two flights will just be 200 passengers according to our capacity to safely manage the quarantine facilities in Tonga.”
“At the same time, delay in completion of Makeke has compounded things and our team need time to familiarize themselves with that new site before we consider increasing the numbers.”
Dr ‘Akau’ola said finalizing the numbers from each country of origin is currently being discussed.
Passengers are required to have a negative CoViD-19 test before boarding both flights.
Quarantine
The flight from Brisbane is a chartered flight funded by employers of the seasonal workers.
Dr ‘Akau’ola explained those from Brisbane were understood to be on some kind of quarantine there for two weeks “but we will still quarantine them here on arrival for another two weeks, followed by one week of home quarantine for extra safety”.
“When we are in a position to better understand the quarantine process being done overseas, we may be in a better position to decide whether a softer type of quarantine can be applied here in Tonga.”
“At the moment, we don't have any information on what kind of quarantine procedure is done overseas,” he said.
“Until we are better informed on that in future, we will stick to our current quarantine procedures to keep Tonga safe and hopefully, maintain its CoViD-19 free status.”
To date, a total of 419 people have been repatriated to Tonga from Fiji, New Zealand, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, including 1 person who disembarked from a fishing vessel.
This includes the 141 passengers repatriated from Christchurch, New Zealand on 9 October, who are currently in quarantine at Taliai Military Camp at Fua'amotu, and the Tanoa Hotel in Nuku'alofa.