A missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has brought the first coronavirus case to the remote island nation of Tonga, according to several reports.
Tonga’s isolation has made it one of the few remaining places in the world that has avoided COVID-19 outbreaks.
The nation reported its first-ever case Friday, CNN reported.
Honolulu Civil Beat reportedthe young man was returning from a mission in Africa and had spent several weeks working in New Zealand before returning to Tonga.
The missionary was fully vaccinated and had tested negative in New Zealand before taking a flight to Tonga, CNN reported.
According to CNN, the nation is on lockdown with a curfew and all public transportation, schools, churches, restaurants, bars and clubs have been ordered to close.
Our news content sharing partners at the Salt Lake Tribune reported, there are more than 66,000 Latter-day Saints in Tonga, according to the church, and the country has a population of about 106,000. More than 18,000 people of Tongan descent live in Utah, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
