Coronavirus

The High Commission has assisted three charter flights and facilitated the return of some 50 Australian citizens and permanent residents since 25 March 2020.

The Australian High Commissioner to Tonga, Adrian Morrison, said the High Commission was working closely with the Tongan government and other governments, private organisations and airlines to assist Australians and permanent residents, noting that there were limitations in light of Tonga’s own COVID-19 restrictions.

The Pacific has a high dependency on food imports; for example, Fiji imports 85 per cent of its rice from Vietnam and Thailand.

Pacific Beat understands that the Australian government is currently reviewing each Pacific nation's food security risk, with some concern that while borders may be left open for cargo, not all ships may continue to operate.

The director of the SPC's fisheries division, Neville Smith, said they were working to minimise the impact on the tuna fishery, the coastal fishery and on aquaculture.

Mr Smith said exports from fisheries and Pacific food security were now more important than ever.

He said fisheries observers not being able to travel, along with port closures, were a threat to the finances of the hugely important tuna fishery.

Tonga’s Minister for Finance, Tevita Lavemaau, said, “the prompt response by ADB is indeed timely as government had in place a small contingency provision for un-anticipated events but neither planned nor included in the budget resources to combat the scale of the negative impacts by COVID-19 on our small and vulnerable economy. The Ministry of Finance projected the negative impacts on the economy up to 7 percent in 2020 and higher in the financial year 2021. ”

“Even the two largest economies in the region, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, do not have the fiscal space to provide immediate recovery packages for businesses to survive or income support to those facing unemployment,” says former Professor of Economics and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of the South Pacific, Biman Chand Prasad.

A state of emergency was declared in Tonga on 20 March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health emergency and closure of its borders have put pressure on Tonga’s health systems and the broader economy. The government has announced a 60 million pa’anga short-term assistance Programme to combat COVID-19. ADB’s assistance will support the upgrading of local health care facilities; fund logistics to lock down the country’s border; and provide relief for the elderly, the unemployed, and vulnerable businesses such as tourism, retail, agriculture, and transport.

The actor, in his role as UN ambassador, helped to launch its $40m (£32,2m) International Fund for Agricultural Development on Monday.

The fund is intended to help support farmers and food producers in rural areas globally during the pandemic.

"It is about food," the Luther star told BBC News.

"It is about the basic necessity for human beings, and that will run out if the farmers can't farm."

Idris, and his wife, model and fellow activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba, have been quarantined in their London home since last month, having tested positive for coronavirus.

The Chief Executive for Health, Dr Siale ‘Aka’oula has extended a flight diversion order until 12 June to prevent the introduction, or spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the kingdom.

Tonga has remained coronavirus free since the Declaration of an Emergency Notifiable Condition issued

The flights affected by the change are as follows:

1. Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Fiji Airways.

Expected Dated of Arrival: Any time between the 18^th April 2020 to 12^th June 2020.

Details of Expected Date of Arrival:

The billionaire Virgin Group boss said in an open letter to staff he was not asking for a handout, but a commercial loan, believed to be £500m ($NZ1bn).

The airline's survival was in doubt, and his Necker Island home in the Caribbean could be mortgaged, he said.

It comes as Virgin Group's airline in Australia faces administration.

Both airlines have been hit hard by the global coronavirus lockdown, and Sir Richard has appealed to governments in both countries for help.

A host of big names performed from home on the US broadcast earlier, before more British stars were added to the line-up for a UK edition on BBC One.

The event aimed to celebrate healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards said NHS staff and other key workers "all deserve such a huge thank you".

The girl group were among the UK acts who took part in the British version of the concert on Sunday, along with Rag 'N' Bone Man, George the Poet and The Kingdom Choir.