UPDATED  with further information Feb.2, 2022:

Tonga has recorded two COVID-19 positive cases today, Tuesday Feb. 1, among the front liners handling incoming shipments, Tonga's Prime Minister, Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni, announced in a urgent press conference at 9:00pm. tonight, Tuesday.

The two cases are the first community transmissions recorded in Tonga. They are currently in isolation at Taliai Camp, at Fua'amotu.

The two men, who worked at the Queen Salote Wharf in Nuku'alofa, have no symptioms of COVID-19, the Minister of Health, Dr Saia Piukala said.

They were discovered when the Ministry of Health increased their testing for 10 to 50 front liners who had been working at the port with the increasing number of cargo aid shipments arriving in Tonga, following the volcanic eruption and tsunamis on Jan.15. They were found because of he expanded testing.

The Prime Minister did not reveal the names of the positive cases, where they lived, or which ship/s they had been working with. It is understood that the families of the two men are restricted from moving around.

Tonga will go into lock-down at 6:00pm tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 2, so the community has time to prepare for an indefinite lockdown. The Ministry of Health will update the situation every 48 hours.

Previously, Tonga had recorded only one positive case in quarantine, which was deemed to be a historical case.

The discovery of community transmission is a second blow for Tonga, hitting while it is still in disaster recovery mode following the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga - Hunga Ha'apai volcano which generated tsunamis and laid heavy ash fall over the Pacific Island nation, cutting its internatinal fibre optic cable on Jan. 15, and plunging the nation into digital darkness.

Tonga now faces its first COVID-19 lockdown before full telcommunications have been restored, and businesses and homes are without working internet.

Prime Minister

At the press conference, the Prime Minister said (translated from Tongan):

“The two front liners. We have not yet identified the ship because a number of ships had arrived, and we have not been able to identify which.

“The requirement, of course, that they have to be tested negative before they are allowed in. And the work that we are doing is to find out if they were negative, then became positive later, like what is happening overseas to crews of ships.

“We are working on it, and we have the record of ships that had been here, at time that could have spread this virus. We are looking at goods that were off loaded... the most important issue at the moment Pesi, is for us to slow down and stop those who have been affected. That is the reason for our national lock down, because there were inter island transportation. So no boat will be allowed to go from one island to another. No more aeroplane flights to Ha’apai, Vava’u, or for them to come here to Tongatapu.

“That is the stoppage that will be enforced, while we carry out this survey to find out if there was a chance for someone who had left for Vava’u, but had contacted with one of these two who were affected by the virus. If we can confirm that nothing like that happen then we will open up the travelling....We are working on it, starting tonight.

“After every 48 hours, the situation will be reassessed, to find out the situation, then reassess our lock down decision. 

“To name two that have been impacted by the virus, there is a possibility that they will be victimised, because it will be very sensitive to reveal the name of a person, who had got sick. He could be mocked at etc. The most important issue is the advice from the Ministry of Health – wear your mask and keep your distance, don’t be too close, and prepare for the lock down tomorrow, the PM said.

Minister of Health

Dr  Piukala said, “if they were sick they would have been admitted to hospital. This is a normal surveillance process to check so and so. They were in the working place. So the outcome of the test is positive, but he is not sick or he/she. Does not feel sick. He was working. They were not sick, when we contacted them at their homes, they accepted, and our team went over and separated them from their families. As we are talking, our ministry is talking to family members of these two, the importance for them to home-isolate. They will be tested tonight, positive or negative – we will continue with the process.”

“Reynold Ofanoa’s team, you may remember, after last year’s case. When they traced, they found that some people had left for Ha’apai, they were tested, and when they were found negative they were released. So that’s the procedure  - these two were not sick.”

Tonga has maintained border restrictions since March 2020, while a national vaccination campaign has fully vaccinated over 83 per cent of the eligible population [2] against COVID-19 up to Jan. 6, according to the Ministry of Health. (This represents about 60% of the total population.)

This means 64,047 people out of a total of 76,911 eligible people over the age of 12 years are protected against the virus.

Meanwhile, at least 96% (73,938) of the eligible population have received their first doses.

See also: 
No one here will get close to them, says Health Minister
https://matangitonga.to/2022/0½7/no-one-here-will-get-close-them-says-... [3]