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Gov issues new COVID-19 declaration effective through April 18

Members of the COVID-19 Task force
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Public gatherings, “except for religious services” remain prohibited between 12 midnight and 5a.m., according to Gov. Lemanu Peleti Palepoi Sialega Mauga’s latest COVID-19 declaration, dated Mar. 19th, and effective from Mar. 20th to Apr. 18th.

The new declaration, released Friday night by the Governor’s Office, also keeps business operating hours the same — from 5a.m to 12 midnight and this is also the same restriction for public transportation — taxis and aiga buses.

However, StarKist and its direct documented business affiliates, water production, and oxygen gas production are exempted. And buses under contract with StarKist are also exempted.

All scheduled passenger flights to and from American Samoa remain suspended, and so are bingo games, according to the declaration, which notes that virus-free American Samoa remains under the Code-Blue threat level - where wearing a facemask and social distancing is “encouraged”.

(See Samoa News edition coming on Monday for more details.)

Meanwhile, repatriation flights from the US continue with the next one scheduled for Apr. 15th.

And, in order to sustain future repatriation flights, ASG’s COVID-19 Task Force has decided to require advance payment of the cost share for travelers not covered by the Medicaid/LBJ Referral programs.

As of Saturday morning, the ASG website — www.americansamoa.gov — has provided a new link, to “pay repatriation cost share”.