Samoa will downgrade its Covid-19 alert to Level 2 to enable government departments, businesses and civil society to deliver services nationwide.
Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa announced last night that the Cabinet had approved a recommendation from the Disaster Advisory Committee to move to Tier 2 from midnight tonight April 5, 2022 for two weeks.
Shops and stores will be able to open every day from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., except Sunday.
Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa
Photo: Government of Samoa
Public gatherings will be permitted with numbers limited to 15 people, with the exception of religious services and funerals, which will be limited to 30 people.
Domestic inter-island ferries between Upolu and Savai’i will operate Monday through Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
All schools will remain closed and the ban on the sale of alcohol will remain in place.
Children under the age of 12 are prohibited from entering public places.
The Chamber of Commerce had called for an easing of trade restrictions.
Chamber chief executive Lemauga Hobart Vaai said businesses were battling the tier three lockdown.
“We are not doctors, we are basically trying to support our private sector businesses, but we are also putting pressure on them saying that there is an opportunity for us to open up more, but they are the ones in the end who give us the green light to do so,” he said.
Samoa has recorded a total of 2,279 cases of Covid-19 in the community with 1,517 active cases and two deaths.
