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Tonga's main island of Tongatapu enters a seven-day lockdown that closes non-essential businesses and bans sales of alcohol and mass gatherings, except small funerals, after the country reports its first case of COVID-19 in a person who travelled from Christchurch, New Zealand on a repatriation flight last week.
2021-11-2

The Speaker of the Tongan Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, introduces the Illicit Drugs Control (Amendment) Bill 2021 for debate in the legislative assembly. The Speaker wants a mandatory death sentence for serious drug offenses. Tonga has a moratorium on the death penalty and has not used it in more than four decades.
2021-08-16

Tonga receives its first shipment of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine supplied through the COVAX initiative.
2021-03-31

Tonga extends the state of emergency, which includes curfews and restrictions on gatherings, until November 23. The country, which is COVID-19-free, imposed strict measures on March 12.
2020-10-28

Tonga refuses entry to four cruise ships due to health warnings following the pandemic.
2020-02-12

Tonga and Fiji declare a state of emergency as part of an ongoing measles outbreak. Conditions worsen in Samoa where the death toll continues to rise and schools remain closed. There are 1,797 confirmed cases as of Saturday, with 153 detected on Friday alone.
2019-11-23

An explosion of the Hunga Tonga submerged volcano in the South Pacific Ocean, near Nuku'alofa, Tonga, disrupts air travel and creates a one-kilometer new island.
2015-01-16

Tonga restores contact with the Ha'apai islands after Cyclone Ian passed through during the weekend, killing one person and significantly damaging structures.
2014-01-13

Tongan Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala marries Sinaitakala Fakafanua in a wedding ceremony in Nukuʻalofa. The marriage, the first for a Crown Prince of Tonga in 65 years, sparks controversy as the couple are second cousins.
2012-07-12

King George Tupou V proposes the use of nuclear energy in Tonga.
2010-06-11