This story is republished with permission under Kaniva Tonga’s partnerships with Radio New Zealand.
There have been 76 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in New Zealand, with 12 people now in hospital. Watch the latest live update here.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the total number of cases in the country now stands at 589, and there have been no additional deaths.
Twelve people are currently in hospitals around the country – two are in ICU.
Dr Bloomfield said flu vaccinations are being reserved for high priority groups – over 70 and those with likely health complications.
He said those not in the group should not expect to be vaccinated before mid-April.
Dr Bloomfield has asked New Zealanders to register with Flu-tracker for surveillance of Covid-19.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush said two police staff had tested positive for Covid-19. They are at home and not been hospitalised.
The Coronavirus pandemic has the potential to have a major affect on the regional seasonal workers’ programme which allows Pacific Islanders to work in New Zealand and Australia.
Tonga
is one of the three major suppliers of
labour to the programme.
But
restrictions on travel to New Zealand and Australia and the ban on
international flights in a number of Pacific nations, including Tonga, could mean
that thousands of workers may be unable to take up positions this year.
Equally
large numbers could be trapped as their work visas come to an end.
Australia’s
seasonal work programme grew by 44% in 2018-19, or by some 3000 workers, after
a cap on workers numbers was removed.
New
Zealand increased its cap on seasonal numbers to 12,850 workers in November
2018, a 16% increase on the previous year.
In
2018-19 Tonga supplied about 30% of the Pacific seasonal workers, second only
to Vanuatu which supplied more than 40%.
Dr
Victoria Stead from the Alfred Deakin Institute in Melbourne, said that in
Australia the horticultural industry was in the middle of the harvest season
and the demand for labour was at its highest.
“Temporary
migrant and local seasonal workers are picking fruit, harvesting vegetables,
and sorting and packing crops in packing sheds across the country,” she wrote
in the Guardian.
“Thousands
of these workers are Pacific Islanders, working under the Seasonal Worker
Programme which provides strictly curtailed visas intended to fill demands for,
particularly, seasonal horticultural labour. “
Many
groups of workers were due to return home, but were unable to do so.
Other
groups of workers, due to arrive in Australia, were unable to leave their homes
as Pacific nations closed their borders.
While visas might be extended, Dr Stead asked what would happen if they did not want to keep working beyond their contract period.
“For
those who do continue working, what are the health implications and risks of
doing so?” she wrote.
“Workers
in packing sheds work in close proximity for long hours, and pickers often live
in crowded, shared accommodation.
“If
sheds, orchards and other food production sites shut down amid health concerns,
what will be the financial impacts?
“If
and when workers do return home, how will we ensure that we are not sending
potentially infected people back to countries and communities across the region
whose health systems are ill-equipped to manage the crises that widespread
Covid-19 infection would produce?”
In
New Zealand, Kiwifruit growers say that more than 1300 seasonal workers due to
arrive in the country in the next two months cannot make the journey.
New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Nicky Johnson said the horticultural sector was highly reliant on seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands to harvest crops and do winter pruning.
According
to a report in Stuff, the kiwifruit harvest, which runs until the end of June
is ready to be picked and shipped, but growers do not have enough workers to
get the fruit off the vines.
Growers
report instances of Island workers whose contracts are coming to an end, but
can’t leave New Zealand. If they do not get their visas extended, they will not
be able to work and have already sent all their money home.
The main points
The Coronavirus pandemic has the potential to have a major
affect on the regional seasonal workers’ programme which allows Pacific
Islanders to work in New Zealand and Australia.
Restrictions on travel to New Zealand and Australia and the
ban on international flights in a number of Pacific nations, including Tonga,
could mean that potentially thousands of workers will be unable to take up
positions this year.
UPDATED: As Tonga prepares to go into lockdown, all suspected coronavirus cases in Tonga have tested negative.
However, the Director General of the World Health Organisation has warned that lockdowns will not be enough to stop the coronavirus pandemic on their own.
There have been eight suspected infections so
far.
Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale Akau’ola told Kaniva news that a suspected case in Ha’apai turned out to be a light illness, but the person had been isolated from six earlier suspects as a precaution.
An eighth case was identified yesterday.
He confirmed today March 2 that all test results had been received today and all had been cleared.
“That’s good news,” he said.
Dr Akau’ola said more aircraft would be flying
into Tonga during the lockdown.
He confirmed that an aircraft which landed
earlier this week was picking up foreign nationals.
He said aircraft carrying essential cargo were
expected to arrive.
Lockdown
not enough on its own
Asking people to stay at home and shutting
down population movement would buy time and reduce the pressure on health
systems, but would not extinguish the epidemic, the Director General of the
World Health Organisation said this week.
The point of these actions is to enable the
more precise and targeted measures that are needed to stop transmission and
save lives,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“We call on all countries who have introduced so-called
“lockdown” measures to use this time to attack the virus.
“You have created a second window of
opportunity. The question is, how will you use it?”
Dr Ghebreyesus said the WHO recommended six key actions. He said governments should:
Expand, train and deploy their health care and
public health workforce;
Implement a system to find every suspected
case at community level;
Ramp up the production, capacity and
availability of testing;
Identify, adapt and equip facilities that will
be used to treat and isolate patients;
Develop a clear plan and process to quarantine
contacts;
Refocus the whole of government on suppressing
and controlling COVID-19.
“These measures are the best way to suppress
and stop transmission, so that when restrictions are lifted, the virus doesn’t
resurge,” the Director General said.
“The last thing any country needs is to open
schools and businesses, only to be forced to close them again because of a
resurgence.
“Aggressive measures to find, isolate, test,
treat and trace are not only the best and fastest way out of extreme social and
economic restrictions – they’re also the best way to prevent them.”
The main points
As Tonga prepares to go into lockdown, all suspected coronavirus
cases in Tonga have tested negative.
However, the Director General of the World health Organisation has
warned that lockdowns will not be enough to stop the coronavirus epidemic on
their own.
Kiliki ‘i he ‘ōtiō ‘i ‘olunga’ ke ke fanongo ki he fakataha ‘a e ‘Eiki Palēmia’ mo e kāinga Tongatapu 7. Audios of the Prime Minister’s meeting in Tongatapu 7 were provided by the Prime Minister’s office and transcribed and translated into English by Kaniva News. This English version of the audio had been abridged.
Sponsored:
The government has assured Tongatapu 7 constituents their immediate needs raised during their meeting with the Prime Minister must be addressed.
Those who spoke during the meeting and requested urgent
assistance were told to either send lists of what they needed to Chief
Secretary, talk to the Prime Minister or contact the Ministries concerned.
Prime Miniser Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa said he was happy to
meet the constituents and talk about what had happened after tropical cyclones Tino
and Gita.
He praised the constituency for electing MP Sione Vuna
Fa’otusia to represent them in Parliament.
He said MP Fa’otusia, who is also the Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Justice was his classmate at Tupou College. He said
before the meeting, Hon. Fa’otusia apologised for being unable to attend the
meeting because of illness.
The Prime Minister said it was Hon. Fa’otusia who
nominated him to become the Prime Minister.
People’s Party
He said Hon. Fa’otusia has supported him in his roles
in government and in the People’s Party.
He said this was a party that aimed at uniting as many people as it could to work together outside government to speed up works needed to address people’s urgent needs.
The Prime Minister said the government could not do this
on its own.
He said the People’s Party helped Parliament and
Cabinet a great deal.
He reminded the meeting about six stakeholders who had been working together
including the government, People’s Party, town and district officers , church
leaders, private road constructors and Tongans overseas.
He said they had to value the efforts and fundings
from these bodies as government and Cabinet could not work alone. He said it
has been proved the past governments could not do it.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said the works they did for the
people must be sped up and they had to listen closely to what people needed.
Many things had been delayed while people were waiting,
he said.
“I have promised my top priority is roading,” the
Prime Minister said.
“I will not change what I have promised. I will fill
and seal all roads in Tonga,” he said.
“There will be no return and there will be no reverse.”
The Prime Minister tallked about how the ‘unga (a type of crab) crawls to emphasise his promise. He said the ‘unga could only move forward and it could not reverse. It could crawl through rivers, fire and up the mountain and no matter how slowly it crawled it was moving forward.
The roads in Tonga must be constructed and filled in
the next two years., he said.
Urgent needs / Ground Level View
He said Tongatapu 7’s urgent needs were to fill the
roads, obtain a good water supply and help growers.
“We have different views of what we can do for the
nation, but I appeal to you, let’s unite to build our country and support me as
a way to facilitate addressing Tongatapu 7’s urgent needs,” he said.
The Chief Secretary told the meeting they visited around
the consituency before coming to the meeting.
Tofoa resident Filini Sikuea spoke during the meeting
and said he was happy to see the Prime Minister and his team had driven in his
area to witness what he has described as the worst road in Tonga.
He said when it rained it was muddy everywhere.
Sikuea told the Prime Minister it was important for
him to see that a person had reached a high-status position and still remember
those at the grassroot level, refering to Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s willingess to
leave his office to come and meet the constituents to hear their urgent needs.
Federated society
Sikuea said he talked with Hon. Fa’otusia about establishing
a federated society retail store for their community.
He said the community had more than TP$160,000.
Sikuea said after a couple of talks with the Minister
he was concerned after it appeared there was need for the town and district
officers to understand what they should have done for the project.
He asked the Prime Minister to help on this.
He also told the Prime Minister he had been campaiging
to include formal logic in the Mnistry of Education’s syllabus.
He said he heard
the Minister of Education pushing teaching of children at kindergardens
to make them think. He said logic was a subject which would help this.
The Chief Secretary told Sikuea he would contact the
Ministry of Trade and Economy as well as the Ministry of Education about his
concerns.
Queen’s led village and town inpections
The Prime Minister
was praised for his meeting with the people as the first government leader to
do it.
The Pea town officer asked him to repair the roads in
the area because Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u
Tuku’aho wanted to inspect the town and Ha’ateiho as well as Tokomololo.
It is understood the inspection examined homes and
properties to keep them clean and beautiful.
Acting Minister of Infrasturcture Lord Nuku told the meeting
the road would be repaired.
Tofoa needs
Lisiate Teulilo of Tofoa wanted to install speed bumps
to slow down vehicles on Vaha’akolo road where the Tofoa government primary
school was situated.
He said people had been trying in vain for more than 20
years to upgrade the toilets and some of the classrooms.
The Chief Secretary told Lisiate to write to his
Office so they could work to provide what he was asking for.
Building Materials Duty Free
The Prime Minister also responded to request to delay removing
CT and duty free offer the government announced on building materials from
overseas. Hon Tu’i’onetoa said once their building materials arrived they could
contact him and the Minister of Finance.
There was concern about fireworks, with one
constituent saying they were too loud and some blew up in the air before their ashes
fell on house roofs which dirtied their water supplies.
The Minister of Police said there was no law to stop fireworks.
However, the noble said there was a proposal to ban letting off fireworks at
homes.
Other requests
Government Ministers who attended the meeting told those
who had asked for help that their requests had been accepted and advising them
about what to do next.
These requests included building weaving houses, repairing
and upgrading water supplies, cleaning areas after heavy rain to get rid off
flies and mosquitoes and repairing roads.
The King said there has to be a way to make sure the students’ studies continue as that was what the constitution stipulated.
All schools in Tonga will close on Friday, March 27 for two weeks amid coronavirus threats.
King Tupou VI also warned that Tonga must follow guidelines from World Health Organisation to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
He was addressing the nation in a speech to close down the Legislative Assembly this morning.
He said coronavirus was a great challenge as it has now become a pandemic.
He said it was
important to follow preventive steps and measures.
The king said living
healthy must become a permanent theme for Tonga in the future.
His Majesty King Tupou VI said government, churches, and the people of the country must stand together to build the economy.
As Kaniva News reported earlier this morning, no guests were invited including most media for this morning’s soft closing ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic fears.
The closure was broadcast live on Radio AM station and other commercial FM stations, the Parliament said.
A live stream feed on YouTube was
also expected to be provided, it said.
The Parliament was not closed last year and it was rescheduled to sit in February this year. However, it has been adjourned until May after a request from Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, was approved by the Speaker Lord Fakafanua.
The prime minister said his
government needed time to complete unfinished business and new initiatives,
including the preparation of the 2020/2021 Budget and a number of new Bills.
Tonga’s Legislative Assembly is expected to close this morning.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and for
precautionary measures, no guests are invited including most media, a
statement said.
The soft closing will be broadcast live on Radio
AM station and other commercial FM stations, it said.
A live stream feed on YouTube will be
provided. Press Release will be circulated and video footage will be made
available upon request.
The Parliament was scheduled to sit in February but it has been adjourned until May after a request from Prime Minister Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, was approved by the Speaker Lord Fakafanua.
The prime minister said his
government needed time to complete unfinished business and new initiatives,
including the preparation of the 2020/2021 Budget and a number of new Bills.
For this morning’s ceremony, the Legislative Assembly Office said it “wishes to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
A shipment of illegal sea turtle meat bound for Nuku’alofa has been seized by Tongan authorities.
More than 190 kg had been found in the shipment at Queen Sālote Wharf on Friday last week.
The meat together with shells were deemed illegal because they were not certified by an authorised Fisheries officer.
“Failure to comply, is an
offence under the FMA 2002,” a statement said.
The Police are still working on this case, it said.
The Ministry of Fisheries enforcement team along with a Police task force team made the seizure while the MV ‘Otumotuanga’ofa was unloading at the wharf.
It said the ship departed Pangai, Ha’apai and heading straight to Tongatapu before the seizure.
“According to the Fisheries Management Act (FMA)2002, the ban season for turtle is from August to February, but there are also regulations that every person should comply with accordingly. Fisheries Management (Conservation) Regulations 2008; Regulation 24(g) states – “No person shall possess or sell turtle meat out of the shell, unless it has been certified by an authorised officer that it came from a turtle of legal size.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries has appealed to the public to avoid violating Fisheries Regulations and Act 2002 to conserve marine resources and to ensure a sustainable fishery for Tonga.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the Attorney General may apply to be heard on a ruling on a dispute over damage to the undersea internet cable on January 20, 2019.
On
that date, the Duzgit Venture, a Maltese-registered vessel carrying fuel to Tonga, sailed into
Nuku’alofa, the starboard anchor and chain were prematurely released.
As
the anchor and chain were being winched back in, a cable was observed caught in
the anchor. The cable was one of two
undersea communications cables owned by the Defendant connecting Nuku’alofa,
Ha’apai and Vava’u within Tonga with Suva in Fiji.
Ropes
were used to remove the cable from the anchor.
Tonga
Cable Ltd claimed US$1,237,890.06 for damage to the cables.
The owner of the ship, DS Venture Ltd, has claimed that any claims for loss or damages were limited by Section 2 of the Shipping (Limitation of Liability) Act 1980 (SLLA), which provides that:
“The owners of a ship , Tongan , Commonwealth or foreign , shall not , where all or any of the following occurrences take place without their actual fault or privity (that is to say)
(a) where any loss of life or personal injury is caused to any person being carried in the ship;
(b) where any damage or loss is caused to any goods , merchandise or other things whatsoever on board the ship ;
(c) where any loss of life or personal injury is caused to any person not carried in the ship through the act or omission of any person (whether on board the ship or not) in the navigation or management of the ship or in the loading, carriage or discharge of its cargo , or in the embarkation, carriage or disembarkation of its passengers , or through any other act or omission of any person on board the ship ;
(d) where any loss or damage is caused to any property (other than any property mentioned in paragraph (b) of this section) or any rights are infringed through the act or omission of any person (whether on board the ship or not) in the navigation or management of the ship or in the loading, carriage or discharge of its cargo, or in the embarkation, carriage or disembarkation of its passengers, or through any other act or omission of any person on board the ship, be liable to damages beyond the amounts set forth in the Schedule to this Act .
The ship’s owners argued that the SSLA provided formulae by which to calculate a ship owner’s maximum liability for property and personal claims by reference to the tonnage of the ship multiplied by various amounts of francs.
The owners allege that by application of the formula here, the limit of its liability for the incident is TOP$859,403.82.
Lord Chief Justice Whitten, presiding, said the other relevant was the Shipping Act (1973). Section 3 of the 2016 revised edition applies to all vessels registered and licensed under the Act or regulations on any voyage and in any waters and to every ship in Tongan Territorial waters or in a Tongan port or harbour, and to any ship on which Tongan seamen are employed.
“The Plaintiff has pleaded, that if the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims 1976 and Protocol of 1996 (LLMC) is in force in Tonga, then by the application of the relevant formulae in that Convention, its maximum liability for all claims here will be TOP$3,348,496,” the judge said.
“Accordingly,
the Plaintiff seeks a declaration that its liability for the incident is
limited to the lower amount calculated by reference to the SLLA; alternatively,
the higher amount by reference to the LLMC.”
However,
Lord Chief Justice Whitten said that the SLLA provided, that the LLMC would not
become the law of Tonga until the Minister had given notice to that effect in
the Gazette. This, however, had not been done.
Therefore,
if the plaintiff was entitled to a limitation of its liability, the SLLA
applied.
“However,
as this is a matter both rare in occurrence in Tonga and of some national
importance, I will direct that this ruling be served on the Attorney General
and reserve liberty to the Attorney General to apply to intervene to be heard
on this issue,” the judge said.
“In
the event the Attorney General concurs with the parties on this issue, she is kindly
requested to file a memorandum to that effect.”
The Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola has denied reports Tonga A Rugby Union Team players may have come into contact with a flight attendant who was later suspected of showing signs of coronavirus.
It was alleged the Tongan team players were on their way back to the kingdom from Fiji on Monday 17 when the incident happened.
The allegations on social media have triggered concerns from many online users over the weekend.
In his reponse to Kaniva denying the allegations Dr ‘Akau’ola said in Tongan: “Oku ikai mooni e talanoa fekauaki moe kau akapulu naa nau heka he vakapuna nae ngaue ai ae tokotaha i Fisi nae puke he Covid 19.”
As Kaniva News reported earlier this morning, Tonga is now banning all travellers from outside the country in an unprecedented move to seal its borders amid the coronavirus crisis.
The announcement came after Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa said on Friday Tonga has closed its borders to everyone but citizens and residents in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.
A Ministry of Health statement this morning shows all aircraft expected to arrive in Tonga today Monday 23 until Saturday 28 had been cancelled in a bit to prevent COVID-19 spreading to the kingdom.
Tonga has no confirmed case of
coronavirus.
Last week PTOA Party Leader MP Semisi Sika called on government to close down its borders.
“Lock down all our
international ports Tonga,” Hon Sika wrote on Facebook last week.
His post received more
than 500 reactions, more than 100 comments and 235 shares.
One if his supporters
responded and said it was better to be safe than sorry.
However, some did
not agree with Hon Sika.
“If you shut down
the port how will the Tongan people get their petrol, toilet paper, sugar,
flour, sipi, moa, soap, medicines and hospital equipment, building materials
and etc?…” a commenter wrote.
When Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa announced on Friday Tonga was in a
state of emergency over coronavirus pandemic he told reporters the government was
raising the alert to another level.
The government previously said it was too early to make a decision to close down its border due to various reasons including shifting of pharmaceutical products from overseas.
Tonga is banning travellers from outside the country in an unprecedented move to seal its borders amid the coronavirus crisis.
A Ministry of Health statement shows all aircraft expected to arrive in Tonga today Monday 23 until Saturday 28 had been cancelled in a bit to prevent COVID-19 spreading to the kingdom.
Tonga has no confirmed case of coronavirus.
When Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa announced on Friday Tonga was in a state of emergency over coronavirus pandemic he told reporters the government was raising the alert to another level.
The government previously said it was too early to make a decision to close down its borders due to various reasons including shifting of pharmaceutical products from overseas countries.
“This diversion order is issued on the basis that I have reasonable grounds to believe that it is necessary to divert the above-mentioned conveyances (aircrafts) to a place outside the Kingdom to prevent the introduction, or spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which is an Emergency Notifiable Condition under the Declaration of an Emergency Notifiable Condition issued on 12 March 2020, and Gazetted on 13 March 2020, or other significant threat to Public Health of the Kingdom as specified under the Declaration of Public Health Emergency on 12 March 2020, and Gazetted on 13 March 2020,” the Ministry of Health CEO said in statement.
“Pursuant to the authority conferred upon me under section 117(1) and (2)(c)(i) of the Public Health Act, I hereby order the following conveyances (aircrafts) to be diverted to a place outside the Kingdom:
Name of conveyance (aircraft): Fiji Airways
(FJ211)
Expected Date of Arrival: 23/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Air New
Zealand (NZ 270)
Expected Date of Arrival: 23/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Talofa
Airlines (TA 407)
Expected Date of Arrival: 23/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Virgin
Australia (VA 95)
Expected Date of Arrival: 24/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Fiji Airways
(FJ211)
Expected Date of Arrival: 24/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Virgin
Australia (VA 61)
Expected Date of Arrival: 24/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Virgin
Australia
Expected Date of Arrival: 26/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Talofa
Airlines (TA 407)
Expected Date of Arrival: 26/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Fiji Airways
(FJ211)
Expected Date of Arrival: 26/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Virgin
Australia (VA 61)
Expected Date of Arrival: 26/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Air New
Zealand (NZ974)
Expected Date of Arrival: 26/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Air New
Zealand (NZ 270)
Expected Date of Arrival: 27/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Fiji Airways
(FJ213)
Expected Date of Arrival: 28/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Fiji Airways
(FJ211)
Expected Date of Arrival: 28/03/2020
Name of the conveyance (aircraft): Air New
Zealand (NZ 974)
