Pacific Islands

Tonga to enter five-day lockdown as more COVID cases recorded

February 2, 2022 6:06 pm

Aerial image of Tonga's capital, Nuku'alofa [Source: TVNZ]

The Kingdom of Tonga is to go into a five-day lockdown from Wednesday night as COVID-19 begins to spread in the community.

Tonga recorded three new cases today, taking the total to five after two were recorded yesterday.

The three new cases are family members, including children, of one of the two people who tested positive yesterday.

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The pair had been working at Queen Salote Wharf and were tested in a group of 50 frontline workers.

Both people are now in managed isolation, along with their families, but officials say the two original cases were likely infected last week and have been in the community since then.

Contact tracing is underway and Tongans are being urged to get vaccinated if they are not double jabbed.

The lockdown is set to begin at 6 tonight.