Tonga remains COVID-19 free after the 57 people in quarantine tested negative Monday, the Minister for Health, Dr 'Amelia Tu'ipulotu has announced.
The Minister said, the 57 passengers who arrived from Fiji two weeks ago had been quarantined for 14-days at Tanoa Hotel, and their final tests came back negative. They were all released to go home.
They are being advised to quarantine at home for a further seven-days as an extra precaution.
“We are thankful that Tonga remains COVID-19 free. Today after 14-days of quarantine, they were all negative,” she said.
This is in addition to 24 frontline works who were based at the hotel. They all tested negative. Sixteen were health workers, four soldiers, two firemen and two medical scientists, who tested the samples at the Vaiola Hospital laboratory.
“This is a great outcome”, said the Minister and thanked everyone involved.
Meanwhile, a second repatriation flight is being planned to bring Tongans from New Zealand on 04 August.
But that decision has to be made by Cabinet, said the CEO of Health Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola, who was expected to submit it to them Tuesday.
He highlighted the importance of Tonga’s repatriation policy and the countries they choose to repatriate Tongans from like Fiji, in order to keep Tonga CoViD-19 free and reduce risks.
“We choose a country where there is no community transmission. We need our people to understand this."
“We plan to bring from New Zealand stranded Tongans and put 80 of them at Tanoa Hotel. The other 60-70 we can put up at Taliai Military Camp, mostly the men who are seasonal workers,” he said.
“These logistics will be submitted to Cabinet to make a decision,” he said.
Photo Tonga Ministry of Health