Two COVID-19 cases in wharf workers in tsunami-hit Tonga were at a different wharf to that used by foreign naval ships delivering aid, a Tongan official said, as the previously virus-free nation prepares to go into lockdown on Wednesday to stop infections.
There have been fears an influx of international ships and planes delivering badly needed water, shelter and food after a devastating volcanic eruption had increased the risk of a pandemic outbreak in the isolated Pacific nation. Tonga had recorded only one previous COVID-19 case.
The Australian navy ship, HMAS Adelaide, was known to have 23 COVID-19 cases onboard when it docked at Vuna wharf last week and offloaded 250 pallets of aid to a quarantine zone.