Honorable Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga
Honorable Lieutenant Governor Eleasalo Ale
ASG 2021 Covid-19 Task Force;
Stranded lives matter and we are very grateful that your administration is braver than the Lolo Administration in showing the efforts to bring stranded American Samoan resident’s home. We are offering our experiences and services for your administration to fix the broken issues created by the previous administrations and the current ASG Covid-19 Task force(s). The information below is just the start of letting the island and the world know what your administration will be known for.
As we all know, it has been well over a year since many American Samoan residents left Pago Pago for medical treatments. I left my only child in American Samoa due to my immediate need for off-island medical treatments. The border closures in March of 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic was the right decision at the time. But, I will say it again, “STRANDED LIVES MATTER”.
Your administration was handed millions of dollars to fight the pandemic issues on-island. To my knowledge, not one dollar was offered to assist the stranded residents with their hardships. So, with no sort of relief or compensation from the federal funds provided to ASG, I am beyond grateful to my family for taking good care of my daughter and trying their best to keep her happy. I know she misses us being home. I, aside from fighting my own battles, I have to stay strong for my daughter.
TOPIC for future consideration is the numerous suicides on-island potentially and probably tied to the pandemic in one form or another that cannot be ignored.
My medical doctors/professionals advised me to attain help of the canine family. Which is why I now own 2 beautiful huskies – my service dogs.
Service Dogs in general provide many functions to people who are disabled. My service dogs are invaluable for my condition/disability.
But and unfortunately, the ASG Covid-19 Task Force has demonstrated that they do not know the definition of a “service dog”. To my knowledge there are highly educated individuals and even medical doctors currently on the Covid-19 Task force team. The Governor should be told that his Task Force is lacking the knowledge needed to assist all disabled residents i to come home. I do not know all of the medical reasons that people left the island, but I do know that there are dialysis patients needing to come home. During a few “ZOOM” calls it was made public that there are multiple “lists” of qualified residents allowed to come home and it is very unfortunate that the disabled is apparently not a priority to this administrations Task Force.
The confusion starts with the alleged LIST of stranded residents. DOH was the gate keeper of the list of qualified residents to come home using federal funds. Then, and again during a zoom call, we were informed that there are at least 3 lists being circulated for approval to identify qualified people to come home.
The Federal ADA laws protect the disabled including the disabled individuals requiring the assistance of service dogs. Now, the question is; why were non-stranded non-disabled residents allowed to come home on the first few flights. It is very evident that the Federal ADA laws were broken as residents without disabilities were repatriated home in the first few flights. An oversight committee needs to be formed to scrutinize the actions taken to date and have the ADA rights of the disabled protected and the discrimination.
We were excited to hear the Governor state his opinion that “those residents stranded the longest come home first.” As previously indicated, the recommendation from the Governor was not followed.
A right covered by the ADA includes my service dogs to accompany me home. This fact which is protected and governed by the Federal ADA Law was ignored by Director Nua and the Task Force.
I tried to reach out to DOH Director Motusa Nua and received a nonchalant reply. His flagrant disrespect for the disabled was as follows: QUOTE , that I should be able to return home in another 3 months as “our community (expanding) its knowledge of the pandemic and self-protection, heightening the people’s confidence with the system in place to protect over sixty thousand residents, the Task Force MAY consider lifting some restrictions, you should be happy for the fact that [I] have a COVID free home to come back to.”
It is now a year and many countries and Pacific islands are returning to normal lives, yet American Samoa is still trying to figure out how to allow people with Service Dogs into its borders.
I am not asking for any favors or special treatment. I’m only asking to do what’s fair and especially do legally right by your citizens.
I’m #476, yet I am unable to return home because the ASG Task Force does not have a plan allowing Service Dogs into American Samoa. That’s discrimination against the disabled. Just as it is discrimination for the Task Force not to have a plan for people with medical conditions not to be prioritized on repatriation flights home.
It is unfair and disheartening for me, to watch others who just left the island in last calendar quarter of 2020 or even the beginning of this year, return…while I’m still begging to the Task Force for a chance to return home.
Governor Lemanu and Lieutenant Governor Eleasalo Ale, keep your campaign promises. Now more than ever, we need great leaders who can stop the ridiculous actions that have been taking place.
You may be a New Administration but you are NOT new to this Covid fight.
Lead and Do the Right Thing!!
Crystal Ve’ave’a
