All 141 passengers repatriated from Christchurch, New Zealand earlier this month have tested negative for Covid-19 according to Tonga's Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola.
The passengers have been released from the Tanoa Hotel after completing 14 days of quarantine since arriving in Tonga, and are now spending one week in home quarantine “for added safety as our usual practice”.
The next repatriation flights are scheduled this week for 29 and 30 October from Brisbane and Auckand.
Dr 'Akau'ola confirmed the total number of passengers to be repatriated from Brisbane and Auckland later this week have increased from 200 to 230.
“Total numbers were planned to be 80 from Brisbane and 120 from Auckland,” he said.
“However, after reviewing the number of passengers and confirming that some of them are already in small bubbles, [for] example a few small families can be accommodated at one room, and few of the seasonal workers are already in small bubbles and can be safely quarantined in a single area at the quarantine facilities.”
“Therefore, [the] total number of passengers have now been approved to safely go up to 230 altogether.”
He said they will all be quarantined at Makeke and the Tanoa Hotel.
Meanwhile, another two repatriation flights are planned for next month from Brisbane and Auckland according to a MEIDECC media statement last week.
Discussions are underway with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand to allow stranded nationals from other countries to be quarantined in Brisbane and Auckland for 14 days before returning to Tonga.
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To date, a total of 419 people have been repatriated to Tonga from Fiji, New Zealand, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, including one person who disembarked from a fishing vessel...