<p>Volcano-devastated Tonga will close its borders Wednesday after Covid-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from last month's deadly disaster, officials said.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said two men tested positive this week in the capital Nuku'alofa and were in isolation.</p>.<p>He said the men had been working in the city's port, where humanitarian aid has been pouring in from around the globe since the January 15 eruption.</p>.<p>"The most important issue at the moment is to slow down and stop those who have been affected," Sovaleni said during a national address late Tuesday.</p>.<p>"That's the reason for our national lockdown... no boat will be allowed to go from one island to another, no more (domestic) aeroplane flights."</p>.<p>Sovaleni said Tonga would close its borders from 6:00 pm (0500 GMT) Wednesday, with the situation reviewed every 48 hours.</p>.<p>Tonga first closed its borders in early 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe.</p>.<p>Since then, the nation of 100,000 had recorded just one case of Covid-19, a man who returned from New Zealand in October last year and has since fully recovered.</p>.<p>However, the devastating blast from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, which lies about 65 kilometres (40 miles) north of Nuku'alofa, created what the Tongan government described as an "unprecedented disaster".</p>.<p>The volcanic blast, one of the biggest recorded in decades, generated massive tsunami waves and blanketed the island nation in toxic ash, claiming three lives.</p>.<p>In response, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, China, France, Fiji and Britain have sent ships carrying aid including drinking water, medical supplies and engineering equipment.</p>.<p>All of the deliveries were to be handled using strict "no-contact" protocols in a bid to keep the virus at bay, including leaving goods in isolation for three days before they are handled by Tongans.</p>.<p>Sovaleni did not reveal which ship the affected men had been working with.</p>.<p>He said they were asymptomatic and double vaccinated, along with about 85 percent of Tonga's population.</p>.<p>Australia's HMAS Adelaide docked in Nuku'alofa to unload supplies last week, despite a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 20 of its crew.</p>.<p>The Australian Defence Force did not respond to a request Wednesday for the ship's latest coronavirus numbers, but Australian broadcaster ABC reported cases had soared to more than 70.</p>.<p>A United Nations update late last week said drinking water remained Tonga's main challenge and about 1,500 people were still displaced.</p>.<p>Communications remain patchy after the eruption damaged an undersea cable that connects the country to the rest of the world.</p>.<p>Officials said a specialist cable repair ship was expected to arrive this week and would take at least two weeks to fix the damage.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>
<p>Volcano-devastated Tonga will close its borders Wednesday after Covid-19 was detected in the previously virus-free Pacific kingdom as it struggles to recover from last month's deadly disaster, officials said.</p>.<p>Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni said two men tested positive this week in the capital Nuku'alofa and were in isolation.</p>.<p>He said the men had been working in the city's port, where humanitarian aid has been pouring in from around the globe since the January 15 eruption.</p>.<p>"The most important issue at the moment is to slow down and stop those who have been affected," Sovaleni said during a national address late Tuesday.</p>.<p>"That's the reason for our national lockdown... no boat will be allowed to go from one island to another, no more (domestic) aeroplane flights."</p>.<p>Sovaleni said Tonga would close its borders from 6:00 pm (0500 GMT) Wednesday, with the situation reviewed every 48 hours.</p>.<p>Tonga first closed its borders in early 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe.</p>.<p>Since then, the nation of 100,000 had recorded just one case of Covid-19, a man who returned from New Zealand in October last year and has since fully recovered.</p>.<p>However, the devastating blast from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, which lies about 65 kilometres (40 miles) north of Nuku'alofa, created what the Tongan government described as an "unprecedented disaster".</p>.<p>The volcanic blast, one of the biggest recorded in decades, generated massive tsunami waves and blanketed the island nation in toxic ash, claiming three lives.</p>.<p>In response, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, China, France, Fiji and Britain have sent ships carrying aid including drinking water, medical supplies and engineering equipment.</p>.<p>All of the deliveries were to be handled using strict "no-contact" protocols in a bid to keep the virus at bay, including leaving goods in isolation for three days before they are handled by Tongans.</p>.<p>Sovaleni did not reveal which ship the affected men had been working with.</p>.<p>He said they were asymptomatic and double vaccinated, along with about 85 percent of Tonga's population.</p>.<p>Australia's HMAS Adelaide docked in Nuku'alofa to unload supplies last week, despite a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 20 of its crew.</p>.<p>The Australian Defence Force did not respond to a request Wednesday for the ship's latest coronavirus numbers, but Australian broadcaster ABC reported cases had soared to more than 70.</p>.<p>A United Nations update late last week said drinking water remained Tonga's main challenge and about 1,500 people were still displaced.</p>.<p>Communications remain patchy after the eruption damaged an undersea cable that connects the country to the rest of the world.</p>.<p>Officials said a specialist cable repair ship was expected to arrive this week and would take at least two weeks to fix the damage.</p>.<p><strong>Watch latest videos by DH here:</strong></p>