COVID-19 worries over UN force to prepare for aid to Tonga in tsunami aid, according to Reuters

By Michelle Nichols and Praveen Menon

(Reuters) – The United Nations is preparing remote relief operations in Tonga to prevent the occurrence of COVID-19 in the Pacific island nation affected by a volcanic eruption and tsunami, an official said on Wednesday.

All homes on the small outer islands of Tonga have been destroyed and three people have been killed so far, the government said in a first statement after Saturday’s devastating eruption.

Because cutting a submarine cable severely hinders communications, information about the size of the disaster so far has come mostly from reconnaissance aircraft.

Jonathan Veitch, the coordinator of the United Nations in Fiji, told the media that most of the operations will be carried out remotely and that no staff will be sent to the island.

“We believe we will be able to send flights with supplies. We are not sure we can send flights with staff and the reason for this is that Tonga has a very strict COVID-19 policy,” Veitch said.

Tonga is one of the few countries where COVID-19 is free, where an outbreak would be devastating, he said. The small island nation has 90% immunization coverage in adults as well as young people over the age of 12, Veitch said.

“They’ve been very cautious about opening up borders like many Pacific islands, and that’s because of the history of the outbreak of Pacific disease, which has wiped out society here.”

The UN has 23 people on the ground and other international NGOs to help with relief efforts, Veitch said.

The World Health Organization said it would start a discussion with the government “in a prudent manner, but we will do nothing to threaten the safety of their protocols and the safety of their population under COVID.”

CLEANING ON

The Tongan government has begun evacuating drifting residents in some outlying areas. The volcanic ash has been “severely damaged” by volcanic ash, a major concern, the prime minister’s office said in a statement issued late Tuesday.

Supplies and rescue equipment, including water, have left the ports of Australia and New Zealand, but it will take at least another five days to reach the coast of Tonga.

Cleaning the airport runway ash is a priority for the government. The main Fua’amotu International Airport in the archipelago was not damaged but the ashes had to be removed by hand.

“We thought it would be up and running yesterday, but it hasn’t been completely cleaned up yet because more ash is falling,” Veitch said.

Tsunami waves of up to 15 meters have hit the Ha’apia Island group, where Mango is located, and the west coast of the main island of Tongapu, the prime minister’s office said. Neighbors were being taken to evacuation centers, where 56 homes were destroyed or severely damaged along the coast.

Atata and Mango Hunga are about 50 to 70 km from the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, which sent tsunami waves across the Pacific Ocean when it exploded with an explosion of 2,300 km (1,430 miles) in New Zealand.

Australia and New Zealand have promised immediate financial assistance to Tonga.

The U.S. International Development Agency approved $ 100,000 in immediate assistance to help people affected by volcanic eruptions and tsunami waves.