Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has told of strong opposition from neighboring countries at restrictions on visitors in efforts to keeping out Novel Coronavirus from the country.
TV1 Samoa reports Tuilaepa telling a media briefing that travel restriction notices had been sent to Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and American Samoa.
“There was opposition from representatives from some of these countries but our travel restrictions will remain,” he said.
According to Tuilaepa Fiji had complained that Samoa was moving too fast on the matter.
This was after Samoan authorities sent back 6 Chinese who had flown into Samoa from Fiji because they had come from a Coronavirus affected country.
The Prime Minister said his country will not back down from its declared travel conditions.
“What we are doing are preventative measures for our people and we don’t want to end up treating them,” he said.
Over the weekend two Samoan sailors were placed in quarantine at the Faleolo Medical Center which has now been designated as the quarantine facility for Coronavirus.
The sailors had traveled to Samoa after a two day transit in China and were immediately taken in for quarantine for fourteen days.
