THE Pacific island nation of Tonga reported its first COVID-19 case, which was detected in a person who returned to the country via a repatriation flight from New Zealand.
The infected person is now in isolation, Tongan officials said.
Meanwhile, New Zealand health officials confirmed the infected person tested negative before leaving Christchurch.
Members of Tonga’s Olympic Team, which were stranded in Christchurch, New Zealand after the Tokyo Olympic Games, were part of the repatriation flight The team were fully vaccinated prior to their departure for the Games.
The news prompted Tongan Prime Minister Pohiva Tuionetoa to announce a possible lockdown on the country’s main island of Tongatapu next week Since he was advised that it will take three days for the virus to develop in someone who catches it before it becomes contagious, he said they will use the time to prepare in case more people become infected.
This tiny Pacific kingdom remained to be one of a few countries who managed to veer away from the deadly virus, until now.
Majority of Tonga’s 106,000 people call Tongatapu their home, where less than a third have been fully vaccinated.