‘Oku taupotu ‘i lalo ha fakamatala faka-Tonga
Tokelau remains in lockdown following the announcement of its first Covid-19 community cases.
“We knew that it would eventually get to Tokelau, so we prepared,” Tokelau Government General Manager Aukusitino Vitale said.
Between 15 and 26 May, four community cases were recorded in Nukunonu.
Tokelau is now officially the second to last country in the world to experience community transmission of Covid-19, with Turkmenistan still at zero cases as of 26 May according to the WHO.
On top of the four community cases in Nukunonu, which is the largest atoll in Tokelau, there was one border case and two recorded at the border on Fakaofo.
Vitale said the index border case arrived on the Lady Samoa with more than 70 other people in Tokelau on Sunday, 14 May.
They stopped off in Atafu and Fakaofo and all passengers who disembarked on Nukunonu tested negative on day one but on day three, a 48-year-old male tested positive.
One week later on Sunday, 21 May, the man’s son tested positive, becoming the first community case in Tokelau.
Vitale, who was also on the voyage, said the five-day lockdown which is only in place in Nukunonu ends on 28 May local time.
“Have courage, we have a very good, high herd immunity rate which is really helping with the positive cases, it’s just been flu symptoms, fever is of course the most difficult one but apart from that people are recovering.”
The restrictions in place mean Matiti School on Nukunonu is closed, as well as all government offices.
Essential services like the hospital, co-op store and finance are open with special arrangements in place to minimise people moving about in the village.
People are allowed to feed their livestock between 7am to 9am.
By RNZ
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Oku kei loka āa Tokelau hili e fanongonongo āenau fuofua keisi Koviti-19.
Ne tokameaāi pe āe he kainga āe iku pe o aāu ange pea ne nau teuteu pe ki ai.
Naāe lekooti ai āa e keisi āe fa he komiunitii āi he vahaāa taimi āaho 15 ki he 26 āo Mee i Nukunonu.
Kuo hoko ai āa Tokelau ko e fika ua ia ki he muimui taha āo ha fonua āi mamani ke ne maāu āa e Koviti 19, kae kei hao pe āa Turkmenistan heene aāu mai ki he āaho 26 Meeā fakatatau ki he WHO.
Kehe mei he keisi komiuniti āe faa āi Nukunono āa ia ko e motu lahi taha ia āi Tokelau ne āi ai āa e keisi āe taha he potaaā mo e ua ne lekooti āi he pota āo Fakaofo.
Pehe ko e keisi he potaa ne tuāuta ange ia āi he vake Haāamoa ko e Lady Samoa mo ha kakai āe toko 70 āi Tokelau he Sapate āaho 14 o Mee.
Ne nau tau ai āi Atafu mo Fakaofo pea ne nekativi pe kau pesese ne nau hifo i Nukunonu he uluaki āaho ka āi he āaho hono tolu ne tesi positive ai ha tangata taāu 48.
Hili ha uike āe taha ki mui i he Sapate ko hono 21 o Mee ne tesi positivi ai āa e foha e tangata ne puke pea ko e fuofua keisi ia i he komiunitii i Tokelau.
Naāe pehÄ āe Vitale, āa ia ne kau foki mo ia āi he fononga, naāe ngata āa e loka āaho nima āa Nukunonu āi he āaho 28 āo Mee taimi fakalotofonuaā.
Naāa ne poupou ki hono kakai ke nau loto lahi he oku lelei āaupito āenau āimiunti rate āa ia āoku tokoni lahi ia ki he ngaahi keisi positive, ko e fakaāilonga pe ia āo e fuluu, ko e mofi āa e konga faingataāa taha kae makehe mei ai kuo ake mai āa e kakai.
Koeuhi ko e ngaahi fangatangata kuo hoko āoku āuhinga ia āoku tapuni āa e akoāanga Matiti āi Nukunonu pea ngaahi āofisi fakapuleāanga.
Ava pe ngaahi sevese fiemaāua hange ko e fale mahaki, ngaahi fale koloa mo e paāanga āi ha fokotuāutuāu makehe ki ai ke fakasiāisiāi e feÅāaki āa e kakai.
āOku āatÄ āa e kakai ke fafanga āenau fanga monumanuā he vahaāa e 7am ki he 9am.