The Samoan government has extended the COVID-19 State of Emergency until October 26, 2020.
This pushes the SOE into its seventh consecutive month.
Samoa, like American Samoa, remains one of a handful of nations around the world without coronavirus cases and is the motivating factor to continue the SOE orders, although some restrictions have been eased a bit.
However the extension has met with an appeal for common sense in government decision making from some sectors of the business community.
The President of the Samoa Hotels Association, Tupa’i Saleimoa Vaai told the Samoa Observer while it is understandable, especially the government’s duty to protect lives, he would still like to see some restrictions relaxed to help the struggling tourism industry.
“We do support whatever measures that the Government would see fit to put in place to ensure our safety and that effort should primarily focus on our border controls and our preparations in terms of health in case the epidemic comes through our borders,” he said.
