Pacific / Samoa

Covid-19: State of Emergency extended for Tonga and Samoa

17:13 pm on 12 May 2021

Both Tonga and Samoa's governments have each renewed their country's Covid-19 state of emergency for another month.

Nuku'alofa's main street Photo: RNZ Pacific / Koro Vaka'uta

For Tonga, the status means a midnight to 5am curfew will remain in force, and restrictions on mass gatherings will still apply.

Tonga's border also remains closed.

Samoa remains free of the virus, but the government is not taking any chances, and the order will stay in place until 6 June.

It restricts sea traffic, flights into and out of the country, operating hours for shops, and liquor sales, among other things.

Public gatherings are permitted, but people are required to follow Covid-19 safety rules.

It's the 45th time the state of emergency has been extended for Samoa.

Both countries first declared a state of emergency due to Covid-19 on March 20 last year.