Results for COVID-19

Tonga has renewed its State of Emergency, extending it for another month, from 8:00pm July 8 until 8:00pm August 4, Tonga's Prime Minister Hon Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa declared this afternoon.

Today’s home school trial was deemed a success by some primary, secondary, and tertiary students from the Tu’atakilangi area of Tongatapu using the radio, TV, and internet.

Fifty volunteers from Tonga Red Cross took part in the second CoViD-19 repatriation drill yesterday in Tongatapu.

By this morning, 900 people had registered for repatriation to Tonga. MEIDECC, the Ministry responsible for the Repatriation Registry said that at least 70 stranded public servants are also looking to return to Tonga. A mock repatriation exercise held this morning involved four stages of arrangements.

The Australian Government has contributed AUD$1.9m to community organisations in Tonga earlier this month, to provide safe water supply, teach hand hygiene, and support agricultural development to protect against the impact of CoViD-19.

Editor's comment: On Friday we reported the government’s announcement that there would be a test/drill repatriation flight, with 50 overseas Tongans arriving on an Air New Zealand cargo flight “next week”, and quarantined for two weeks at the Tanoa Hotel. The problem with our report was that we believed what we were being told at the Prime Minister's press conference held at the Fa'onelua Centre. But the “flight arriving this week” was simply their flight of fantasy.

Tonga has extended its State of Emergency for another month, from 8:00pm 11 June until 8:00pm 8 July, the Prime Minister Hon Dr Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa declared this afternoon. In addition, the CoViD-19 restrictions have been extended from 8:00pm 11 June to 8:00pm 8 July. The night curfew now starts an hour later at 12:00am to 5:00am, with mass gatherings still limited to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors.

As the Pacific Islands consider ways to build back economies severely struck by the CoViD-19 crisis, the environmental impacts faced worldwide highlight the opportunity we now have in our hands to build back a ‘Bluer Pacific’, said Kosi Latu, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) on World Environment Day.

Statistics show a major decrease in international visitors to Tonga between January to March, in comparison to 2019, as CoViD-19 started to spread worldwide and in the months before Tonga closed its border.