Aussie and UK navy ships deliver contactless aid to Tonga
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British and Australian navy ships have arrived in Tonga to deliver aid without making contact in order to avoid spreading COVID-19 in a nation that has never had an outbreak.
The danger of spreading the disease was heightened after nearly two dozen sailors aboard the Australian ship HMAS Adelaide were reported infected on Tuesday, raising fears they could bring the virus to the archipelago devastated by an undersea volcanic eruption and a tsunami.
Tonga has reported only one case since the pandemic began, making it one of the few countries in the world that are completely virus free.
According to Our World in Data, about 61 per cent of Tongans are fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the US provided an additional $US2.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Tonga through the US Agency for International Development, adding to an initial pledge of $US100,000.
Britain’s HMS Spey, which arrived in Tonga with 30,000 litres of bottled water, medical supplies for more than 300 first aid kits, and basic sanitation products, ensured that all of its sailors stayed within the ship by moving the supplies ashore by crane.
The Australian Government said its ship had completed the 3300-kilometre voyage from Brisbane and would deliver supplies without contact with the local population to avoid infections.
With the restoration of the drinking water supply a major priority, the ship brings a desalination plant. It’s also carrying helicopters and engineering equipment.
Australia said it was widening its disaster support to include restoration of power and communications.
Under pandemic measures, Tonga typically requires visitors to quarantine for three weeks on arrival and that complicates the international disaster response. All international aid is to be delivered without any local contact.
Tongan authorities have been wary that accepting international aid from the navy ships could usher in a bigger disaster than the huge eruption of the volcano. The tsunami killed three people.
The ship is the second aid mission from Australia in which at least one crew member tested positive. A C-17 Globemaster military transport plane was earlier turned around mid-flight after a person aboard was diagnosed with the virus.
With AAP
Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.
