NEMO recalls canned pork it distributed on Saturday
The CEO of the Ministry of Revenue and Customs, Kelemete Vahe, has apologised for the mistake the Ministry has made by allowing banned products to enter the country.
Vahe was responding after the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (MAFF) issued a recall of canned pork the National Emergency Management Operation (NEMO) had distributed on Saturday.
Vahe said the products were blacklisted by MAFF and he was notified about the ban about two years ago.
Vahe said the problem occurred when the tsunami relief shipments were released from quarantine last week. The blacklist was overlooked due to most of the senior officers being isolated at home because of the Covid restriction guidelines.
He said not all officers were working at the same time. They worked in shifts to make sure there were staff at the borders while others were isolating at home
“In fact it was forgotten to remind those working at the time to look out for the banned products,” Vahe told Katalina Tohi of radio FM87.5 in Tongan.
“We apologise. They can be recalled and people are warned about them”.
Deputy Minister and Minister of Disaster Poasi Tei
Vahe said the matter was discussed with the Chinese embassy in Tonga as they have more relief shipments coming to the kingdom.
The government did not give further details as to why the products were recalled apart from Vahe saying the canned pork was “dangerous for animals”.
However, while Tohi interviewed Vahe this morning she claimed the recall was made in fear of “yellow swine fever” to which Vahe agreed and said in Tongan “’io, ko ia” which was in English he was saying – yes, it is.
Products should stop at border
The Minister of Disaster Poasi Tei said the canned pork products recalled by the government yesterday should have been stopped at the border.
He said he only became aware of the incident on Sunday and ordered a stop to any further distribution of the products.
Hon. Tei appeared to have questioned the MAFF about the way it handled the products.
“I greatly respect the Ministry of MAFF, but there was a procedure of identifying food which are banned from Tonga,” he said.
“It should have been stopped at the ports of entry whether it came through the airport or the wharf.”
Hon. Tei was responding after MAFF recalled the products on Saturday just hours after they were distributed in Tongatapu as part of the tsunami relief goods.
He said the government trusted that the relief aid donor countries only donated the best food.
“They would not like to tarnish their good reputation,” he said.
Canned pork
As we reported yesterday, MAFF warned residents on Saturday not to eat or dump the cans if they had been opened.
CEO Kelemete Vahe. Photo/Tonga Broadcasting Commission
Photos of what appeared to be the products were shared on Facebook on Sunday.
It showed one of the apparent products with its label written in Asian and English languages.
One says: “Canned Pork Luncheon Meat”.
It also showed the company’s name, “Guangzhou Eagle-Coin Food Group Co. Ltd”.
The Chinese company was previously known as Guangdong Cannery and it said on its website that it integrated more than ten food and beverage enterprises, including Guangqixiang Cannery, Yangcheng food factory, Lingnan biscuit factory, Asian soda factory and Conghua Sanhua distillery.
Swine flu
Yellow swine fever caused a pandemic in 2009. The virus originated from pigs in a very small region of central Mexico.
From April 12 2009 to April 10, 2010, the United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that there were 60.8 million cases with 274,304 hospitalisations and 12,469 deaths in the United States.
Chinese scientists discovered a new strain of the virus in 2020, which they said had the potential to spread to humans and cause another pandemic.
It is the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus, the first being the 1918–1920 Spanish flu pandemic and the second being the 1977 Russian flu.
When Spanish flu reached Tonga in 1918, with the arrival of a ship carrying sick passengers, the infection spread rapidly.
It is estimated up to 8 percent of the population died as a result.
Covid-19
Coupled with a powerful tsunami which killed four, flattened houses andblanketed almost the whole country with think layer of ash, Tonga recorded its first community Covid cases last week.
The Prime Minister ordered a nationwide lockdown on Wednesday last week which was subject to a 48 hour review.
Yesterday the lockdown was extended for another 14 days after two more cases were detected bringing the total of the active cases to eight with an earlier case been recovered.
Health Minister Saia Piukala. Photo/Screenshot (FM87.5 livestream)
The exact source of the Tongan community cases of Covid-19 is still unknown despite interviews with the first two primary sources and an investigation which has been underway since last week.
Minister of Health Saia Piukala said the two patients whose infection with the virus that led to the current lockdown were baffled by their infection.
Hon Piukala said the duo did not recall any situation while working at the wharf that could lead them to believe a breach was responsible for their infections.
Piukala previously denied rumours that the source might link to the Australian helicopter carrier, HMAS Adelaide, which arrived in Tonga last week. More than 20 of its crew have been infected and are self-isolating on board.
Tongatapu and Vava’u Lockdown
Tongatapu and Vava’u were currently in a two-week extended lockdown while restrictions in the rest of the country’s outer islands were eased in response to the seven community cases announced yesterday.
Dr Reynold ‘Ofanoa from the Ministry of Health’s frontliners said during yesterday’s press conference that the Ministry had reviewed the process of decontamination of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worn by the frontliners.
Dr ‘Ofanoa said the decontamination process included frontliners having to have a clean shower before changing to their casual clothing.
He said the review was made to see if there was a breach that led to those two primary cases testing positive last week.
Dr ‘Ofanoa was responding after a journalist claimed during the conference she had information that there was a breach of how the PPE was handled.
Tonga sends samples to Australia
Meanwhile, Hon. Piukala said samples from Tonga had been sent to a Melbourne lab to identify the Covid variant.
He said according to the evidence the Ministry had collected about the active cases he strongly believed it was Omicron.
The Minister said it was expected the results would be sent back to Tonga this week.
Hon. Piukala said 20 Health frontliners had been told to isolate at home after they treated the fifth patient.
He said the 14-day incubation period had become law because most people who had been infected with the virus were likely to show symptoms within 11 days.
The 14 days self-quarantine period allowed extra time for suspects to be certain they had not been infected and could not spread the virus to others.
Hon. Piukala also revealed Health officials knew of people who breached the home isolation protocol including some who were unvaccinated.
The number of unvaccinated people in the kingdom was 2889 last week, but this had dropped to 2530, the Minister said yesterday.
The Fijian Government lifted its nationwide curfew at midnight – ending almost 22 months of strict movement restrictions due to Covid-19.
Several other measures were also relaxed, over public transport, sports events, nightclubs and no longer requiring the use of the care-Fiji contact tracing app.
Mask wearing, however, will remain mandatory.
Acting prime minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said Fiji is past its worst with over 90 percent of the population over the age of 15 fully vaccinated, and the number of people hospitalised declining.
He said “it is time for a new direction” in responding to Covid-19.
Fiji recorded its first positive infection in March 2020, and has had 811 deaths since.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. Photo: Facebook/Fiji govt
“What this means in practice is that we no longer need to look at the world solely through the lens of Covid-19. We are moving to a stage where we can remove our blinders and treat Covid as an endemic disease instead of a pandemic, not unlike the common flu,” Sayed-Khaiyum said.
“Covid cases aren’t going away, but our focus — from a health and policy standpoint — will be on particularly vulnerable groups, while the rest of our society more or less live normally as we rebuild our economy and focus on addressing the other challenges affecting the lives of ordinary people,”
There are 188 new community cases of Covid-19 being reported today – 20 fewer than yesterday.
Photo: 123rf.com
In a statement, the Ministry of Health said the new cases are in Northland (16), Auckland (117), Waikato (15), Tairāwhiti (1), Lakes (12), Bay of Plenty (20), Hawke’s Bay (1), Mid Central (1), Hutt Valley (2) and Canterbury (3).
Two bars and two churches have been named as close contact locations of interest on Sunday.
O’Hagan’s Irish Bar Auckland. (Source: Google Maps.)
Anyone who visited O’Hagan’s Irish Bar, in the Auckland CBD, on Saturday, January 30 between 8pm and 1am or Hoppers Garden Bar in Grey Lynn between 8pm and 12am is asked to self-isolate and get tested immediately and on day five after exposure.
A full list of the Ministry of Health’s locations of interest, which continues to be updated, can be found here.
Meanwhile, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints Papatoetoe and the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints Favona have also been named as close contact locations of interest.
The Papatoetoe church was visited by a positive Covid-19 case on Sunday, January 30 between 11.30am and 2.30pm, while the Favona church was visited on Wednesday, February 2 between 7pm and 8.30pm.
Anyone who was at the services at the same time as the positive cases are asked to self-isolate, and test immediately and on day 5 after exposure.
Visitors to the four locations, who were there at the same time as the positive cases will receive further isolation and testing requirements from Public Health.
There were 208 cases of Covid-19 recorded in the community on Sunday
Tonga has reported two new cases of Covid-19 bringing the total number of active cases now to seven.
The Minister of Health Saia Piukala said all seven cases were asymptomatic and were vaccinated with two doses except two of them who were children.
The Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku said during a press conference this afternoon the lockdown was extended for another two weeks for Tongatapu and Vava’u only. This meant, all restrictions had been lifted for Ha’apai, ‘Eua and the Niuas.
The Tongatapu and Vava’u lockdown was eased on Tuesdays and Fridays to allow shops, gas stations and banks to open to the public.
Customers were urged to wear face coverings and keeping two metres apart.
Booster shots
Hon Hu’akavameiliku said more than 10,000 booster shots will arrive in Tonga this Saturday from New Zealand.
Hon Hu’akavameiliku said talk was underway to bring back Tongans who were stranded in Fiji. He said Tongan MV Taka’ipomana, which was expected to return from Fiji next week was considered for their return but some of the stranded Tongans have medical condition which means they could not travel by sea. The Prime Minister said Fiji Airways was an option.
The new cases of Covid-19 were detected on Saturday with an earlier case already recovered.
The kingdom went into lockdown on Wednesday after detecting its first community transmissions of Covid on Tuesday. Its first Covid case was recorded in October 2021 after a passenger from Christchurch tested positive at the boarder and recovered at an MIQ.
New Zealand has claimed its first ever gold medal at the Winter Olympics today, with Zoi Sadowski-Synnott winning the finals of the women’s snowboard slopestyle event.
Julia Marino, left, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Tess Coady on the dais after the event. Photo: AFP
Sadowski-Synnott has soared into history books, winning the women’s slopestyle gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.
The 20-year-old from Wanaka – who went in as the defending world champion – made an emphatic start in her opening ride at the Genting Snow Park and competed a stunning final run to win the gold as the last rider up.
Cheers erupted in the stands after Sadowski-Synnott’s run and two other medallists piled on top of her to congratulate her.
“Could not be more proud right now,” the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Teams quickly tweeted after her win as she scored an impressive 92.88 on her final run.
The skies were sunny but hard snow and coldness made the event challenging for boarders as air temperatures fell to -19.6 degrees Celsius.
The Secret Garden Olympic Slopestyle course is designed to resemble sections of the Great Wall of China. Boarders grind rails, jump over a replica of an ancient guard tower covered with snow and soar over massive jumps to attempt complex and extremely dangerous tricks.
The New Zealander took the early lead with a score of 84.51 on her first run, but was overtaken by Julia Marino of the USA who scored 87.68 on her second run, before Sadowski-Synnott won the gold with a 92.88 in her final run.
Australia’s Tess Coady took bronze with a score of 84.15 from her final run.
It was a sensational final run with elements of extreme difficulty by the Kiwi rider with Sadowski-Synnott saying afterwards that it took determination to come back from a fall during her second of three runs.
“It’s an indescribable feeling but I just knew that I had to put it down and I knew I was capable of it so it took everything in me to land that last jump,” Sadowski-Synnott told SkySport.
Her father, Sean Synnott, was thrilled with her resolve to produce the golden effort after her fall.
“I’m just ecstatic. She pulled it out of the bag, she’s a competitor obviously under so much stress I guess after that fall but she pulled it through.”
The three place-getters stood on the dais soon after the event but the medal presentation will take place later.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott in action in the final of the women’s snowboard slopestyle. Photo: AFP
Sadowski-Synnott cruised into the finals of the women’s snowboard slopestyle qualifiers yesterday, taking the top spot.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photo: AFP
Ahead of the finals, the New Zealander said her rivalry on the slopes with Jamie Anderson of the United States pushed her to elevate her snowboarding.
“She pushes you so hard,” Sadowski-Synnott said before the contest.
The reigning twice-gold medalist Anderson, however, ranked ninth at today’s event.
“I blew it, I fell, it sucks,” she said.
Photo: AFP
Today’s medal is only the fourth for New Zealand since it first competed at the Winter Olympics in 1952 in Oslo, with Sadowski-Synnott claiming half of them so far, after she and Nico Porteous won bronze medals in PyeongChang four years.
New Zealand’s first ever medal was skier Annelise Coberger’s slalom silver medal in 1992.
Sadowski-Synnott’s next event at the Beijing Games, the big air, in which she won the bronze medal four years ago, starts in a week.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott in action at the Beijing Winter Olypmics Photo: AFP
NEMO recalls canned pork it distributed on Saturday
Tonga is recalling all canned pork products its National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) had given out to residents on Saturday.
It is understood the recall was announced yesterday on Radio FM 87.5 saying it came from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests.
It warned residents not to eat or dump the emptied cans if they had been opened.
Photos of what appeared to be the products were shared on Facebook this morning.
It showed the apparent product with its label written in Asian and English languages.
One says: “Canned Pork Luncheon Meat”.
It also showed the company’s name, “Guangzhou Eagle-Coin Food Group Co. Ltd”.
The Chinese company was previously known as Guangdong Cannery and it said on its website that it integrated more than ten food and beverage enterprises, including Guangqixiang Cannery, Yangcheng food factory, Lingnan biscuit factory, Asian soda factory and Conghua Sanhua distillery.
A post on Facebook by Vakaloa Beach Resort warned the public about the recalled products.
It said: “We received 1 carton of this Canned Pork Luncheon Meat yesterday. Best not to consume or disposed these cans. It’s not safe for the health apparently”.
The Minister of Disaster was contacted for comment.
The recall comes amid arrivals of aid shipments from several countries following the January 15 deadly tsunami.
China shipped relief supplies worth 1 million yuan (157,900 U.S. dollars) on Monday from Fiji to Tonga, reported Xinhua.
“According to Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo, most of the relief supplies, including drinking water, food, electric generators, water pumps, chain saws, personnel protective equipments and medical supplies, have been raised by the Chinese Embassy in Fiji and the remaining was donated by the Chinese enterprises in Fiji”.
While the kingdom was still reeling from the catastrophic effects of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcanic eruption, it recorded its first Covid-19 cases in the community on Tuesday prompting the Prime Minister to order a nationwide lockdown on Wednesday.
A new case of Covid-19 was detected on Friday, with the government extending the lockdown to another 48 hours. The lockdown was lifted for the two Niuas.
The new case brings the total number of cases in Tonga to five, with an earlier case already recovered.
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