Tonga: UN, we will send aid but keep the country without Covid

(ANSA) - GENEVA, 18 JAN - The United Nations will try to maintain the state of Tonga "free from Covid" in the context of the arrival of humanitarian aid after the eruption of the volcano and the tsunami that hit the Pacific Ocean archipelago.

    "Tonga is a Covid-free country and has very strict protocols regarding it," said the spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), JensLaerke. "One of the first rules of humanitarian action is to 'do no harm' and we want to be absolutely sure that all the protocols necessary for entry into the country are followed", he added.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) explained that it is up to the authorities to establish the procedures, but it is certainly a priority to make sure that contamination "can be avoided as much as possible," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier.

    The United Nations is ready with emergency teams and supplies to assist Tonga, and UN personnel based in the country are working to assist coordination and response efforts in the country.

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