International Aid Arrives In Tonga: COVID-19 Contactless Protocol and Clean Water Are Priorities

Delivery of aid to Tonga by the New Zealand military. (Twitter/@NZDefenceForce)

JAKARTA - The first wave of international aid arrived in Tonga, bringing much-needed supplies after the country was rocked by an underwater volcanic eruption that was followed by the tsunami last weekend, while keeping Tonga as a COVID-19 free country.

New Zealand said its military plane landed at Tonga's main airport after workers cleared ash from the tarmac. Australia also confirmed the first aid plane had arrived. Initially, relief efforts were hampered by the volcanic ash that covered Tonga.

At least three people have died and communications have been crippled, and Tonga is just beginning to reestablish global contacts after five days of being cut off from the rest of the world.

On Thursday, the New Zealand Defense Force confirmed a C-130 Hercules plane landed in Tonga just after 16:00 p.m. local time (03:00 a.m. GMT).

The plane was full of water containers, temporary shelter kits, power generators, cleaning and family equipment and communications equipment.

Hours later, Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton tweeted that the first plane sent by the Australian Defense Force had landed, carrying "humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies."

Aerial photo of Tonga after the eruption and tsunami. (Wikimedia Commons/NZ Defense Force)

Australia said one of the two Boeing C-17 Globemaster aid planes it delivered also had a "sweeper" device to help keep the runway clear.

Rescue teams and hundreds of volunteers have been working desperately for days to clear the thick layer of ash on the airport runway in the capital Nuku'alofa that was blocking the plane's landing.

The volunteers used wheelbarrows and shovels, which New Zealand joint force commander Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour called a "giant effort".

"After the eruption, the whole of Tonga was gray. We are talking about dogs, cars, and buildings, all covered in ash," Tongan journalist Marian Kupu told the BBC from the capital Nuku'alofa.

Kupu said the heavy ashfall made clearing the runway 'difficult' and posed a possible health threat to those involved with the task, who were "especially the boys".

Australian and New Zealand authorities have confirmed that aid deliveries will be contactless, to prevent the risk of spreading COVID-19 to the island, which has so far seen only one case of the virus in the pandemic.

"The aircraft is expected to be on the ground for up to 90 minutes before returning to New Zealand," New Zealand Defense Minister Peeni Henare said.

Aerial photo of Tonga after the eruption and tsunami. (Wikimedia Commons/NZ Defense Force)

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Gilmour said the contactless COVID-19 protocol was "strictly adhered to", adding assistance procedures would include ensuring the flight crew would not come into contact with anyone on the ground, and that everyone would wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

"We have great respect that the last thing Tonga needs right now is to prevent the Covid outbreak on top of this catastrophe," he added.

Australia also said no personnel would disembark from their aircraft.

Meanwhile, a New Zealand navy ship is also scheduled to arrive in Tonga on Thursday, ahead of other supply ships. Henare previously told the BBC the logistics vessel would carry more than 250.000 liters of fresh water and desalination equipment, which is used to separate the salt from the water.

"The most urgent thing coming from the Tongan government is the need for clean water," he said.

Kupu expressed similar concerns that the Pacific island nation's water supply would run out, saying they were "praying for water, for heavy rains, we don't have enough water."

Please note, contact with Tonga remains limited. The 2G connection has been restored by telecom provider Digicel, but the line is overwhelmed by demand. A major undersea cable that connects the remote island nation to the outside world could take weeks to repair.