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COVID-Free Tonga Turns Away Volcano Aid Flight After Positive Case on Board

Someone on board recorded a positive COVID-19 test during the journey.

Since the start the pandemic, Tonga has recorded just one single coronavirus case—and, even though the Pacific nation is now in desperate need of aid after last week’s massive volcano eruption and tsunami, it’s not ready to risk letting the virus in. An aid flight from Australia was turned away Thursday after someone on board recorded a positive COVID-19 test during the journey. Tonga is COVID-free and its strict border control means that delivery of aid has to be contactless, which complicates the international mission to supply the nation with water, food, and medicine. However, after the Australian flight was turned away Thursday, a New Zealand navy ship carrying 250,000 liters of water arrived Friday. Six days ago, the South Pacific archipelago was rocked by a huge volcanic eruption and tsunami that spoiled most of its water sources.