Tonga will go into lockdown after several cases of Covid were recorded in the capital city Nuku’alofa.

Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said on Tuesday two port workers had tested positive. Officials later confirmed three more cases in family members. The South Pacific nation had previously managed to stay virus-free. The outbreak comes as Tongans try to recover from a deadly volcanic eruption and tsunami which left three dead and damaged homes and infrastructure. Tonga had avoided Covid outbreaks by closing its borders to the outside world in early 2020. But since the eruption it has since been heavily dependent on foreign aid for supplies of fresh drinking water, shelter kits and rescue equipment.(BBC)…[+]