Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The container vessel, Fesco Askold, with three of its 17 crew members testing positive for COVID-19, will remain anchored out at sea for a minimum of seven days, says ASG Coronavirus Task Force chairman Iulogologo Joseph Pereira

The vessel, whose crew has remained on board since their arrival in Pago Pago on Sunday afternoon, sailed out of the main harbor after 9a.m yesterday morning, and remains about five miles from shore out at sea.

Iulogologo said yesterday afternoon that the meeting in the morning of the Task Force “forged our recommendation to the Governor to have the vessel anchor outside for a minimum of seven days until we complete our assessment of the situation.”

This will also provide time to the Department of Health to work with the shipping agent, Port Administration and ASG Treasury's Custom Division “to determine a viable strategy, with emphasis on containing transmission, to allow the vessel to off-load its containers and pick up a minimum of 200 containers of StarkKist products destined for the United States,” Iulogolo said. “This recommendation has been approved by the Governor. 

He explained that while two separate tests have been conducted which affirmed the positive results for the three-crew members, a third battery of tests is being conducted by the ABI7500 Testing Machine at LBJ Medical Center which “is more sensitive and sophisticated to further confirm the positive test results produced by the two separate tests” carried out by Health Department.

“The crew including the three who tested positive are on the vessel and we are not aware of the protocols being adopted by the [vessel’s] Captain to contain further spread of the virus to other crew members,” he pointed out.

“Further decision will be rendered once the above tasks are completed and vetted by the task force,” said Iulogologo.

In the meantime, he said the Port Administration director has taken steps to decontaminate the dock area to ensure that every precaution is taken to mitigate any contamination, which might have resulted during the time the vessel was at dockside.

“The Port will resume its normal business as soon as the decontamination task is completed,” he said.

Workers on the port weren’t able to enter the dock when they arrived yesterday morning to start their workday, due to increased security and they were waiting in the Samoa News parking lot for an update of information and clearance.

Just after 9a.m yesterday, Port Administration director, Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Tuia-Poumele issued a notice to port users, ASG agencies and the public that the Port of Pago Pago would be closed until 7:30a.m today, Nov. 10th.

The Health Department held a news conference Sunday night, with DoH Epidemiologist Dr. Aifili John Tufa saying that the confirmed cases are not false positives and this is “actual positive” COVID-19, according to a KHJ Radio audio of the news conference shared with the different news agencies.

He explained that the vessel left California on Oct. 24th and headed to Tahiti, where it was for one-day and left Nov. 3rd, for Samoa, where it was on Nov. 7th, before heading to Pago Pago.

“I wanted to reassure the territory that none of the vessel’s crew members came on to land, everybody was swabbed for the test on the boat and tested at the DoH lab in Tafuna,” Dr. Tufa said during the news conference.

Nine DoH personnel, who were exposed when they went up to the ship to test the crew, as well as two pilots from Port Administration, who navigated the vessel in, are now in quarantine for five to 7 days. And will be tested again during their quarantine. 

However, according to Iulogologo, there are eleven government personnel who were involved with the vessel clearing process, and they are currently being quarantined at the DOH Quarantine Facilities for a period of fourteen days to be on the side of caution. 

Iulogologo continued, “We have adopted the posture that we have three positive cases and we hope that the quick actions by the Department of Health and the Department of Port Administration allowed us to contain and restrict the coronavirus on the vessel.” 

Dr. Tufa noted during the news conference that the The Fesco Askold regularly calls into Pago Pago and the cargo on board, remains with the vessel, as it anchors away from territorial shoreline.