PRESS RELEASE: ALERT LEVEL 2 MANDATES & CONDITIONS

(GOVT. PRESS SECRETARIAT, 28^th January 2022)- The new State of Emergency, (S.O.E.) Orders signed into law this evening by the Afioga i le Ao Mamalu ole Malo relaxing the COVID-19 Lockdown from Alert Level 3 to Level 2 comes with law binding mandatory strings attached.

Contained in the SOE Orders are mandatory public health conditions to be observed during the next two weeks are:

• Mandatory wearing of facial masks;
• Mandatory showing of vaccination cards;
• Social distancing;
• Vaccination roll out for those who have not started nor completed doses;
• Regular PCR testing for people in quarantine;
• Booster doses roll out; and
• Pediatric vaccination roll out when available.

The Orders also authorizes businesses and government services to resume after 6:00pm tonight for the next two weeks until further notice and includes the following conditions;

• Allow public gatherings to cap at 30 people, must be 12 years of age and above, must show COVID-19 Vaccination Card and observe social distancing.
• Permit only cargo flights into and out of  Samoa until further notice;
• Suspend inbound repatriation flights, seasonal workers flights and outbound passenger service flights until further notice;
• Continue regular inter-island ferry services between Upolu and Savaii but maintain social distancing;
• Container ships and oil tankers allowed to berth at Matautu wharf to ensure adequate food and fuel supply chains for Samoa;
• Public transportation is restricted to taxis (4 passengers); buses to keep passenger numbers to 20
• School openings to be suspended but encourage the use of virtual, audio-visual and other e-learning platforms; and
• 12 years and under age groups are prohibited from public places.
• For markets including flea markets and fish market or any market which the public have access to permitted to open from Monday to Saturday, from 6.00am to 6.00pm and no person is to sleep overnight at any market place.
• The supermarkets and small shops are permitted to open from Monday to Saturday from 6.00am to 8.00pm.
• All gaming is prohibited (including Bingos, Casinos, bonuses and lotto)
• Hotels are permitted for in-house guests for room service and takeaway only from Monday to Sunday and hotel-restaurants may open from Monday to Saturday for non-guests from 6.00am to 8.00pm for takeaway only.
• Restaurants are opened for take away from 6.00am to 8.00pm from Monday to Saturday, and are to close on Sundays.
• All other business are permitted to operate from 6.00am to 8.00pm from Monday to Saturday except for the following businesses which are to close until further notice.
• a)Nightclubs and Bars
• b)Fitness centres and Gyms
• c)Gaming Facilities
• All business must close on Sunday except:
• a)Fish Markets from 4.00am to 9.00am
• b)Fugalei Market from 4.00am to 9.00am
• c)Supermarkets and small shops from 12noon to 8.00pm
• d)Petroleum Products Supply Limited for the purpose of refueling
• e)Petrol stations which may open from 12 noon to 8.00pm
• Domestic flights services between Upolu and Savaii may operate according to the normal schedule including Sundays and must observe social distancing and must comply with the measures for the preventions of the spread of COVID-19 as advised by the Ministry of Health and National Emergency Operation Centre from time to time.

Cabinet will review the developments before the end of the two weeks.

Any further developments during the two week Alert Level 2 period will be distributed for the publics’ information when they are available.

301 REMAIN IN CONTROLLED ISOLATION

Official data from the Ministry of Health confirms a total of 301 people under Quarantine and Isolation including 27 COVID19 positive cases. 

Those confined in Isolation includes 228 public servants who worked as frontliners when the flight from Australia transporting 73 passengers arrived last week Wednesday.

And since then 22 passengers have tested positive for COVID19 and 5 are registered nurses who provided health care services for the initial group of passengers tested positive and they have since been admitted to the Isolation Wing at the National Hospital.

Samples send to New Zealand for specialized specimen tests have further confirmed 6 infected by Omicron Variant and 1 Delta Variant.  The results for the rest of the specimen tests are forthcoming.

All of the 301 remain asymptomatic as of last night.  And the fourth round of SWAP tests for the entire group commenced yesterday with the results soon to be made available by the Ministry of Health.

VACCINATION ROLL OUT

A total of 1,082 vaccinations were administered on Thursday 27 January 2022

As of 27 January 2022

• 106,339 have been fully vaccinated for the Astra Zeneca vaccine
• 9,645 have been fully vaccinated for the Pfizer vaccine

RESPONSE AGENCIES

Ministry of Police, Prisons and Corrections

• 12 Tickets issued since Saturday 22 January 2022
  • 272 warnings issued since Saturday 22 January 2022

Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority 

• 125 Ambulance responses to date
  • 16 in Savaii
  • 109 in Upolu

MV Lady Samoa 3 chartered ferry service was endorsed to operate on Thursday 27^th January 2022 to transport critical patients from Savai’i to the National Hospital at Moto’otua.

January 28, 2022 Source