Chamber chair requests exemption for gas stations

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The chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce Ella Gurr is urging the ASG Coronavirus Task Force to be fair toward businesses that are granted an exemption from the 6:00-6 pm business hours.

She believes gas stations should also be exempted from the shorter hours of operation.

Since the emergency declaration for coronavirus went into effect on Monday, gas stations have had lines of cars waiting in line in early hours of the morning to fill up.

Ms Gurr said she had inquired if gas stations would be exempt from the 6pm closing time however her inquiry has been ignored.

She said in an email to the Chairman of the Coronavirus Task Force Iulogologo Joseph Pereira, “I urge a fair consideration towards all key essential support businesses supporting Starkist.
“If transportation is running 24 hours,” she said, “then I assume gas stations would be a key to that support leg.”

The Task Force has said that the only buses that are exempt from the 6am-6pm hours of operation are those that transport StarKist Samoa employees.

Gurr said she was “absolutely livid” at the lack of support that businesses have been given.

She described it as “double standard and favoritism toward Starkist against our small businesses.”

She reminded the Task Force Chairman that chamber businesses are the largest employer on this island even excluding the canneries, and she will continue to fight for our businesses as the chair of the Chamber of Commerce.

In exempting Starkist Samoa and businesses that supply and service the canneries, the governor cited that the territory’s economy is dependent on Starkist and the government. If one faces financial hardship, the entire economic system will collapse.

“In essence,” he said, “Starkist can trigger and unleash a lethal economic and financial tsunami with far worst consequences than coronavirus.”

He also said that Starkist can become our source of food supply.

The cannery submitted to the governor its advisory and guidelines for monitoring the health of employees and is doing checks of their workforce multiple times a day.