Australia and New Zealand have started to dispatch aid to Tonga, amid fears that relief workers could bring a “tsunami of Covid” cases to the Pacific Island nation that has so far recorded just one case of the virus. New Zealand has dispatched two naval vessels with relief supplies onboard. The HMAS Adelaide left Sydney for Brisbane on Tuesday and was due to depart for Tonga on Wednesday. A senior Tongan diplomat in Canberra, Curtis Tuihalangingie, told the ABC that there were concerns of “a tsunami of Covid hitting Tonga” as humanitarian relief came to the country. Ford said Red Cross Australia has technical teams that will work remotely to support the local Tongan Red Cross response on the ground.

Source: The Guardian January 19, 2022 20:53 UTC