Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOAS — All public and private schools, American Samoa Community College and day care centers will be closed, effective Monday, Mar. 23rd - under an amendment made Friday night by Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga to his Declaration order issued Mar. 18th, that extended the State of Emergency in American Samoa to April 17th to combat the global coronavirus pandemic.

Under the governor’s extended order, American Samoa’s three-level color-coded threat level is activated starting with Code-Blue, which is the lower threat level, when there is no confirmed COVID case but new stringent requirements are implemented including banning of large gatherings.

The next threat level is Code-Yellow, when there is one-confirmed case and among the requirements at such level, is the closure of all schools.  

However, under the amended declaration order issued Friday night, “all public schools, private schools, day care enters and ASCC, will be closed until further notice” - is moved from Code Yellow to Code-Blue.

“Given new developments relative to the rise in the number of young people being infected, the Governor has elected to move the closing of all public and private schools as well as the American Samoa Community College from the Code-Yellow level to the Code-Blue level,” ASG’s COVID-19 Task Force chairman Iulogologo Joseph Pereira said Friday night in releasing the amended declaration.

“As of Monday (Mar. 23rd) or immediately thereafter all public and private schools will be closed for 30 days,” he said in an email message to cabinet members, with copies to the local news media.

Responding to Samoa News follow-up request for clarification, Iulogologo reiterated Friday night that closure of public and private schools, as well as ASCC, has been moved to  Code-Blue level which - again - is effective Monday, Mar. 23rd.

(Click on attachment at end of this page to read full text of amended declaration.)

Older people and those with severe chronic conditions, were considered “high risk” population of developing serious COVID-19 illness, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, US news outlets are reporting a rise in the number of young people - under the age of 50 - being infected with the virus.

As of Friday afternoon, CDC data shows total US confirmed cases at 15,219 reported from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands. The US death toll at 201 people.

So far, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands are the only US jurisdictions with no reported cases of COVID.

For the state of Hawaii, health officials announced Friday that the number of people infected has risen to 37.

They also made a concerning announcement - two people who haven’t traveled outside of Hawaii and haven’t had any contact with people who traveled have tested positive for the virus. This would be the first two-cases with transmission of the virus within the community.