Members of Tonga's Olympic team were on board the repatriation flight from Christchurch, although the positive COVID-19 case is reported to be a missionary worker ©Getty Images

Tonga has recorded its first COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic after a positive case was discovered from a repatriation flight from New Zealand which had on board members of the country's Olympic team who were finally returning home from Tokyo 2020. 

Tonga has implemented a strict border control policy as a COVID-19 countermeasure, and had been one of the few countries that had not reported any cases.

According to Agence-France Presse, the individual who tested positive had been fully vaccinated, and New Zealand's Health Ministry claimed they had tested negative before boarding the flight.

The incident has prompted an upsurge in vaccinations in Tonga. 

The chief executive of Tonga's Ministry of Health Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola claimed the case was a "weak positive" and that the other 214 passengers on the flight tested negative, as reported by Matangi Tonga Online.

The flight arrived from Christchurch on October 27, and all passengers are undergoing the mandatory 21-day quarantine.

Members of Tonga's Olympic team had been stranded in New Zealand since the conclusion of Tokyo 2020 due to travel restrictions ©Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee
Members of Tonga's Olympic team had been stranded in New Zealand since the conclusion of Tokyo 2020 due to travel restrictions ©Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee

The 214 individuals who tested negative are due to be tested again halfway through their quarantine period, and again on the final day, while the infected person - who is reported to be a missionary worker - will be tested again on November 5.

A seven-day lockdown has been implemented on the main island of Tongatapu.

Six members of the Tongan team at Tokyo 2020 were left stranded in New Zealand following the conclusion of the Olympics, where they had to transit having been unable to fly directly to or from the Japanese capital.

However, after completing their quarantine period in New Zealand, they were caught up with the suspension of flights under a strict lockdown in the country.

Tonga was one of four Pacific island nations that withdrew from the Paralympic Games in the Japanese capital because of travel restrictions.