British, Australian ships deliver ‘contactless’ aid to Tonga

By ROD McGUIRK and NICK PERRY
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — British and Australian navy ships arrived in Tonga and attempted to deliver aid without making contact with anybody ashore to avoid spreading the coronavirus in a nation which has never had an outbreak. The danger of spreading the disease was underscored when nearly two dozen sailors aboard the Australian ship HMAS Adelaide were reported infected on Tuesday, raising fears they could bring the coronavirus to the small Pacific archipelago devastated by an undersea volcanic eruption and a tsunami on Jan. 15. Since the pandemic began, Tonga has reported just a single case of COVID-19.