By Staff Writer
Sunday restrictions will ease up on COVID-19 State of Emergency (SOE) lockdown starting tomorrow Monday 2 August 2021.
The new FAST Government Cabinet called a special meeting last Friday 30 July 2021, to approve new hours for public access to social and business activities on Sunday.
Starting next Sunday swimming at sea or in the rivers are allowed from 12.00 noon onwards.
Normal operating runs are restored for buses and taxis on the day including inter-island travel between Mulifanua and Salelologa.
Supermarkets will open a few hours earlier at 12.00 noon rather than 3.00 pm as it has been and will remain open until 10.00 at night.
The same new hours will be kept for petrol stations and chemist shops.
Nightclub fundraisings are again allowed up to the usual 11.00pm closing time.
The new Government of Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa is likely to make itself popular with the lifting of the restrictions that have been in place since the SOE started 17 months ago.
The restrictions were included under a health protection program designed to protect Samoa from the global spread of the COVID -19 virus pandemic.
The closing of Samoa’s borders to international travel in and out of the country became a major blow to the national economy.
The compensating factor, however, is that it has kept the country safe all these months even up to now.
The new Government is looking to lift the ban under a travel bubble arrangement for travellers between Samoa and New Zealand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are under instructions to raise the proposal for a travel bubble with New Zealand counterparts.
Samoa is currently rolling out its vaccination programme against the pandemic virus and at the latest count 54 percent or about 66 thousand people have so far received their first of two required dosages.
The count on those fully vaccinated is up to 25 thousand or slightly above 20 per cent of the eligible population.
The Ministry of Health continues to remain wary and on the alert as the pandemic takes on added threat with new and highly contagious variants of the original COVID-19 virus.
Neighbouring Fiji is serving as a warning example with the spread of the new Delta variant creating a health crisis on the island.