Governor adds members to Coronavirus Working Group, re-emphasizes public awareness
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In an Apr. 27th memo to cabinet members, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga made revisions to the coronavirus task force and its working group.
Lolo explained that recently executed organizational changes have necessitated the revision of the composition of the task force, along with the inclusion of government employees in the task force who are providing valuable support.
Accordingly, the governor announced that Fiu J. Saelua is now a member of the task force as he has assumed the role of the Governor’s Authorized Representative to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Saelua, who is also the governor’s chief of staff, will continue to serve as chairman of the Coronavirus Working Group.
Other new members of the working group identified by the governor:
• local Homeland Security deputy director Vinnie Atofau, who is also the Alternate State Coordinator Officer.
• Petti Matila of ASG Commerce Department who monitors ASG’s Technical Assistant Program.
• Deputy Treasurer for Revenue, Keith Gebauer, who has been charged with oversight responsibility for COVID-19 related assistance.
Meanwhile, the task force has launched a public awareness campaign on KVZK-TV covering a wide range of issues relating to the virus, which has so far tested 57 people negative in American Samoa. One of the important issues emphasized with the program is social distancing which is an important preventive measure as the virus has no cure or vaccine.
Members of the panel include LBJ Medical Center’s chief medical officer Dr. Iotamo Saleapaga and Health Department Epidemiologist Dr. Aifili John Tufa.
The task force media campaign was mentioned at Sunday’s meeting of the task force, and is used to keep the public informed of this deadly virus, and to keep the territory safe from a confirmed case.
The media campaign, which the task force plans to expand to all other media forms — is a re-enforcement of public awareness that had been carried out by the Health Department and other agencies since early March.