Valerie Adams
Covid-19 is real and people have to stop listening to false news, Tongan-New Zealand champion athlete Valerie Adams says.
Adams was speaking in a new video aimed at New Zealand’s Pasifika community which features prominent members of the community urging people to act responsibly.
“When people say Covid-19 isn’t real it makes me feel really uneasy,” Adams says.
“The pandemic is bigger than all of us.
“We have to be there for each other and back each other up.”
Other speakers urge the pubic to wear masks, to ask for help when they need it and to trust in science-based advice from the government, not internet rumours.
The video was produced by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples, working with the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Police, SunPix, Tagata Pasifika and Pacific Media Network.
False rumours
Tongan Health Director Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola has urged people to be more cautious with what they share on social media, after a post claiming there was a suspected case of Covid-19 at one of the quarantine facilities.
“There have been issues with social media broadcasting false rumours and false allegations,” Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said.
“We try to discourage people from spreading this unhelpful news. It is definitely not helping people.
“We urge people to provide news that come from credible sources for example, the Ministry of Health. Similarly, for us in the Ministry of Health, we always try to get health news related to COVID-19 from reliable sources like the World Health Organisation.”
Online abuse
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Pacific Response Coordination Team chairperson Pakilau Manase Lua told TV One news that a family falsely accused on social media of breaking into a border isolation facility was struggling with what had been written about them.
“I think it’s terrible that people are finger pointing and blaming something that’s completely out of their control of this family,” Lua said.
“There’s also a lot of hateful messaging, and very vitriolic feedback from members of the community, when in actual fact they’re a victim of something that’s been around for some time now.
There was a lot of fear in the community as no-one knew when and how the virus re-emerged.
Vaccine
Australian’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised to distribute a Covid-19 vaccine to the Pacific if Australia develops a supply of working drugs.
So far most countries in the region – including Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati – have remained free of coronavirus.
The Australian Government struck an agreement with UK-based drug company AstraZeneca to locally produce a vaccine which is currently being trialled at Oxford University.
Mr Morrison said Australia planned to use its aid program to “roll this sort of support out to our Pacific neighbours.”
Aid groups have urged the Australian government to increase its aid budget to pay for the distribution of vaccine.
Rugby Union
World Rugby, the ruling body for rugby union, has released a film about the 2020 Pacific Combine, which was held in Fiji earlier this year.
The event brought together 24 players from Tonga, Fiji and Samoa to show off their talents and learn new skills.
Tonga was represented by Leonaitasi Feke, Paea Fonoifua, Roy Lolesio, Rodney Togotea and Katilimoni Tuipulotu.
Pacific Combine lead coach Willie Rickards the level of raw talent in the players should make all three nations feel confident about what the future holds.
Top Combine players received a scholarship in World Rugby’s Pacific Island placement programme.
