Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — There are growing concerns from members of the community that there are people who test positive for COVID-19 and their family members are not following home quarantine restrictions and isolation orders.

Several reports from the public state that some of these people are seen out and about in the community, such as driving their vehicles on the public highway, while others are seen roaming around in town or running errands like nothing is happening.

This same concern was raised by the Aua faipule Faimealelei Anthony Fu’e Allen during the House Health committer hearing last week with representatives of the Task Force.

The hearing was called for Task Force members to explain their protocols on home quarantine and how these protocols are being enforced.

Concerns were raised in the House chamber last week that while the number of positives are going up, there is a lack of enforcement of the home isolation rules and the Task Force should take a look at that issue.

Members of the Task Force appearing before the House committee last week included Depart. of Health (DoH) director, Motusa Tuileama Nua; director for the local Medicaid office, Sandra King Young and Dr. Elizabeth Lauvao also of the Dept. of Health.

In response to Faimealelei’s concern, Motusa explained that the job of enforcing the home quarantine protocol was given to the Department of the Public Safety (DPS) and pulenu’u through the Office of the Samoan Affairs.

“These are the people who go out to each village and family to make sure those who tested positive follow the protocol of staying home,” said Motusa, adding that the Task Force is also assisting DPS and village mayors to make sure everything is right on track.

Motusa further stated that the Task Force is also reaching out to the community including church leaders and family Sa’o for assistance in monitoring people in home quarantine.

The DoH director said that the only way the virus can be beat is for everybody to work together as one team.

“We don’t have enough manpower to do all the work and monitor every single family who tests positive with COVID-19. So our leaders are now reaching out to the community for their effort and support,” Motusa said.

For food delivery, Motusa said that the Department of Education (DOE) is working with the Department of Homeland Security to distribute meals to families in isolation at home once a week.

Faimealelei praised the Task Force and everyone who is taking part in fighting this virus for their commitment and sacrifice.

He pointed out that village mayors are having a hard time getting people to abide with the home quarantine restrictions and rules.

The Aua faipule said that the reason he is saying this is because a man from his village is one of the many people who isn’t taking the home quarantine rules and restrictions seriously. Faimealelei said this man is married to a woman from his village.

According to Faimealelei, this man and his family are under home quarantine because the wife tested positive with the virus a few days ago. However, this man was seen by members of the village driving his vehicle on the public highway everyday like nothing was happening with his family.

There are also times people see the man and his wife together in their vehicle driving to town and back to their house.

Faimealelei further stated that members of the village aumaga approached the man and reminded him about the rules but it appears that he doesn’t care.

“So I instructed the pulenu’u and the village aumaga to call police to report this family,” said Faimealelei, adding that “there are these types of people who have this attitude that they don’t care about the safety of other people including there own family.”

For the safety of village pulenu’u who are enforcing the home quarantine protocols, Faimealelei requested Motusa to provide safety clothing and gear for pulenu’u and police officers who are going out in the field to deal with people who test positive with the virus.

He said his village pulenu’u is doing the hard job of delivering food to families who are in home quarantine and it’s not safe to face people with the virus without the proper gear for protection.

Faimealelei also suggested that all village mayors test once a week to make sure they are not infected.

Vice Speaker Fetu Fetui Jr echoed his colleague’s comments and concern.

Fetu requested Motusa to take the situation into consideration because cops and village mayors who are going out to the field are not being protected with the right gear including safety clothing that doctors and nurses use to protect themselves.

 The Manu’a #1 faipule said if something goes wrong or any of these people later test positive with the virus, the Task Force is to blame.

Fetu acknowledged the commitment and sacrifices by all the medical teams from both DoH and LBJ Medical Hospital because of what they endure everyday.

“During these tough times, you guys are helping out people without thinking about your lives. I am truly glad that we have health care workers like you who put your lives at risk to treat and serve our people,” Fetu said.

Samoa News has also received many reports that people testing positive are seen walking freely in public while other reports state that families of people testing positive are also being seen in public.

“I was inside one of the retail stores in our village when I saw a man from our village who tested positive 5 days ago walk inside the store to shop like nothing happen to him,” the caller said.

“The sad part is that this man is a faifeau who preaches the Word of God and asks church members to obey God’s commandments but he himself did not obey the restrictions by government leaders to stay home,” said the caller.

Another caller, a man from the Tafuna area expressed how disappointed he was when he saw his neighbor’s vehicle on the road.

According to the caller, the woman tested positive for COVID last week and the woman, along with her husband and four young children were all supposed to be in home quarantine.

“I was standing at a gas station when I saw the family vehicle driven by the woman who tested positive last week pass by on the public highway,” the caller said, adding that he followed the woman’s vehicle and he discovered the vehicle parked at a store in Nu’uuli.

After over 10 minutes of waiting outside the store, he observed the woman exit with shopping, get inside her vehicle and then return home.

Another caller said that people who have been inffected don’t follow the protocol and the only solution to the problem is to start a government quarantine of people who come up positive and use the two large DYWA buildings in Pago Pago and Tafuna as quarantine sites.

“That is the only way to solve this problem and it might slow down the spread of the virus,” the caller suggested.