NUKU\u2019ALOFA
\nAustralian defence chiefs on Wednesday said a warship delivering aid to Tonga was not the source of an outbreak that has plunged the previously coronavirus-free Pacific kingdom into lockdown.
\nResidents of the remote island nation, struggling to recover from a deadly volcanic eruption that triggered huge tsunamis, were ordered to stay at home Wednesday after two port workers tested positive in the capital Nuku\u2019alofa.
\nThey were the first community cases recorded in the nation of 100,000 people, with officials later confirming another three family members, including two children, also had the virus and were in isolation.
\nTongans have feared losing the country\u2019s virus-free status since foreign ships began delivering humanitarian aid in the wake of the January 15 eruption.
\nAustralia, New Zealand, the United States, China, France, Fiji and Britain have all sent ships carrying relief supplies including drinking water, medical kits and engineering equipment.
\nAustralia\u2019s HMAS Adelaide docked in Nuku\u2019alofa to unload supplies last week, despite a coronavirus outbreak among its crew.
\nAll offshore deliveries are subject to strict \u201cno-contact\u201d protocols in a bid to keep the virus at bay, including leaving goods in isolation for three days before they are handled by Tongans.
\nThe Australian Defence Force\u2019s operations chief, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton, said the Nuku\u2019alofa outbreak \u201cdoesn\u2019t appear to have evolved from the Adelaide\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NUKU\u2019ALOFA Australian defence chiefs on Wednesday said a warship delivering aid to Tonga was not the source of an outbreak that has plunged the previously coronavirus-free Pacific kingdom into lockdown. Residents of the remote island nation, struggling to recover from a deadly volcanic eruption that triggered huge tsunamis, were ordered to stay at home Wednesday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-242291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n