Plane carrying aid can't land in Tonga after COVID case reported on board

Catherine Garcia, Night editor
·1 min read
Aid from Australia that will help people in Tonga.
Aid from Australia that will help people in Tonga. LACW Emma Schwenke/Australian Defense Force via Getty Images

An Australian plane carrying aid for Tonga had to turn around mid-flight after it was discovered a person on board tested positive for COVID-19.

An Australian defense spokeswoman told Reuters all members of the flight crew tested negative via rapid antigen tests, allowing them to board the plane. They also took PCR tests before they left, and when the results showed that one person tested positive for COVID-19, the plane was ordered to turn back. The supplies were moved to another aircraft that left Brisbane on Friday.

Tonga is reeling from last weekend's Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption and subsequent tsunami, which destroyed entire villages, severed communication lines, and left at least three people dead. Volcanic ash continues to cover much of Tonga, and there is a severe lack of clean drinking water.

On top of that, there have been concerns that someone involved in aid efforts might bring COVID-19 to Tonga, which is home to about 105,000 people. There are no COVID-19 cases in the kingdom, and strict border controls are in place. As supplies start to arrive from Australia and New Zealand, including power generators and water, they will be dropped off via contactless delivery.

You may also like

Florida advances DeSantis-backed ban on making white people feel 'discomfort' or 'guilt' from past racism

California deputy DA opposed to vaccine mandates dies of COVID-19

How Microsoft bailed out Activision Blizzard's greed

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Indianapolis Colts select Jesuit High School’s Laiatu Latu with No. 15 pick in NFL Draft

    Laiatu Latu is the 15th Sacramento-area player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and the first from Jesuit High School.

  • TikTok China parent firm says no plans to sell app

    The US passed a law this week to force the sale of the popular video app or be banned in America.

  • Japan's Nikkei rises as chip shares rebound; BOJ decision in focus

    Japan's Nikkei share average rose on Friday led by a rebound in chip-related stocks, while investors awaited the central bank's policy decision. The Bank of Japan is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged on Friday, after just raising them for the first time since 2007 last month. The time of the policy announcement is not set, but tends to come around the time stock markets reopen from the midday recess.

  • Steelers bolster offensive line, take Troy Fautanu from Washington with 20th pick in NFL draft

    PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers selected offensive tackle Troy Fautanu with the 20th overall pick in the first round of Thursday's NFL draft, giving them a potential bookend to last year's top pick Broderick Jones. The 6-foot-4, 317-pound Fautanu started 15 games at left tackle last season as the Washington Huskies reached the College Football Playoff final against Michigan. He won the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the top offensive lineman in the country, in the process. The 23-y

  • Analysis-The glitch in Japan's plans to bolster U.S. defence

    As the United States faces security threats across the globe, its close ally Japan has committed to stepping up as a trusted defence partner - but Tokyo's cyber and information security vulnerabilities remain a concern, officials and experts say. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is overseeing a once-unthinkable military build-up, told the U.S. Congress this month that Tokyo was committed to helping its partner counter challenges ranging from Russia's war in Ukraine to an increasingly assertive China. That came as the allies announced new areas of military cooperation, including tapping Japan's industrial capacity to bolster defence production and possibly developing new technologies with AUKUS security partners Australia and Britain.

  • Frankie Capan III shoots 13-under 58 in Korn Ferry Tour event at Texas Rangers Golf Club

    Frankie Capan III shot a 13-under 58 on Thursday in the Veritex Bank Championship at Texas Rangers Golf Club to tie the Korn Ferry Tour record for relation to par and match the second-lowest score in tour history. Capan played an eight-hole stretch in 9 under, making an eagle on the par-5 ninth and following with seven straight birdies. “Whenever you’re out there playing well and going low, I really just wanted to keep going as much as I could,” Capan said.

  • The US economy may be barrelling towards stagflation, an outcome worse than recession

    As US growth shows signs of sputtering and inflation keeps rising, a re-run of the tumultuous 1970s is looking more likely.

  • Rams make first 1st-round pick since Jared Goff, take Florida State DL Jared Verse

    The Rams went seven years without making a first-round pick. The Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey accounted for more than half of that.

  • Foreign states targeting UK universities, MI5 warns

    Senior figures from leading institutions are warned of risks to some of their cutting-edge research.

  • Highlights of new Bears WR Rome Odunze

    The Bears added to their explosive receivers room with Rome Odunze. Here's a glimpse at what Chicago is getting in the No. 9 pick:

  • Is pickleball still affordable?

    Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US, because it is simple and easy to learn. But with $100 shoes and paddles, is it still affordable?

  • Dolphins select Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson with 21st overall pick

    Robinson, who’s 6-3 and 254 pounds, was projected to go later than 21 in most mock drafts. But the Dolphins had a conviction about him.

  • Q1 2024 Core Laboratories Inc Earnings Call

    Q1 2024 Core Laboratories Inc Earnings Call

  • Miami Dolphins pick Penn State DE Chop Robinson in Round 1 of 2024 NFL Draft. What to know

    Chop Robinson has a very high ceiling, but it will be up to an NFL team to help him reach it. Here's what to know about the edge rusher.

  • Hurricanes hold on to beat Islanders 3-2

    NEW YORK (AP) — Defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov got Carolina off to a fast start and the Hurricanes held on to beat the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday night for a 3-0 lead in the first-round series. Sebastian Aho also scored for the Hurricanes and Andrei Svechnikov had two assists. Frederik Andersen stopped 29 shots. Carolina won for eighth time in nine games at UBS Arena, which opened for the 2021-22 season. Brock Nelson and Pierre Engvall scored for the Islanders. They are a loss a

  • British man tests first personalised melanoma vaccine

    Steve Young is part of the tests to see if an mRNA jab can stop the deadliest skin cancer returning.

  • Rams make a rare first-round NFL draft pick, taking Florida State defensive end Jared Verse 19th

    HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams selected Florida State defensive end Jared Verse with the 19th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. Verse had two productive seasons for the Seminoles, finishing with 13 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in 25 games, after starting his career at FCS-level Albany. Verse joins a Rams defensive front that no longer has Aaron Donald, who retired in March. Donald, a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time first-team All-Pro, had been

  • Mitch McConnell Breaks With Trump on Absolute Presidential Immunity

    NBC NewsAs the Supreme Court weighs whether Donald Trump is shielded from prosecution for acts committed while president, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he opposes Trump’s view of absolute immunity.McConnell spoke with Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker Thursday for a pre-recorded interview set to air Sunday.During their talk, Welker inquired whether McConnell stood by his February 2021 comment—made just after he voted to acquit “shameful” Trump during his Jan. 6-related

  • Magic beat Cavaliers 121-83 to cut their deficit to 2-1

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first

  • Seahawks target defensive line by selecting Byron Murphy II from Texas with No. 16 pick in NFL draft

    RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks filled a need on the defensive front, selecting Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II with the No. 16 pick of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. The first draft under new coach Mike Macdonald went to the defensive side of the ball with the first selection of his tenure and bolstered a clear area where Seattle needed improvement. The Seahawks had veteran Jarran Reed at the position, but otherwise lacked an impactful second option. Murphy