By Martha Taumata Faavae
A Public Health authority and Association Minister of Women and Social Community is not going to mind too much if Cabinet decides to lift this week, all the restrictions currently in place under the COVID-19 health security lockdown.
What he does mind very much is if the border ban for international travel is lifted to allow travelers to enter Samoa at this time.
Salausa Dr. John Ah Ching believes the risks are minimal for the reopening of schools, boat travel, public transport and church services after the lockdown these past 6 weeks confirmed the virus is not in Samoa.
“I fully support the Education Minister’s wish to reopen schools at the University and the college levels and not for Primary and Pre-school levels,” Salausa told Newsline Samoa.
“I would also prefer to see all the bans inside the country lifted but not the border restrictions at the airports and sea ports for cruise ships and fishing boats until the pandemic is cleared.”
Public attention is focused this week on what Cabinet decides on the emergency lockdown as the effects of the restrictions continue to add strain on the local economy with family starting to feel the pinch.
Salausa praised what he felt was the health awareness conditioning of the general public by the restrictions under the lockdown.
“To me it’s like the first wave to help us adjust to how we should behave and what we should do in the event of the pandemic reaching us for our own health security.
“The time will come when we will eventually have to open up our travel borders before this virus is fully eradicated or some other new health epidemic that comes up.
“But when they do come at least we are mentally prepared for it for our own personal health security.”
Salausa would feel safer if inbound visitors who are supposed to be clear of the virus are still placed under 14 days quarantine to be sure they are not bringing the virus.
“The COVID-19 virus in some cases are able to surface 17 days after it was contracted by a carrier.”
The Associate Minister’s views has the thumbs up from the Chairman of the National Emergency Organisational Committee, NEOC, Ulu Bismarck Crawley.
He is also in full support of the travel borders to be kept firmly closed and it is his Committees recommendation as well to Cabinet especially with the pandemic spread still on the rise outside Samoa and the death toll continuing.
“All it takes is one case of a virus carrier to enter Samoa and all our hard work counts for very little.”
But not all is wasted with Ulu hoping that the public makes full use of the health conditioning they have been forced to go through these past few weeks for their future health protection.
Salausa and Ulu are all in support of the careful easing on the restrictions as it is being done so far and for the lockdown on selected areas to continue.
Salausa’s main concern are the older people who are more vulnerable to the pandemic virus and of how it takes a while for a person already infected to start to showing symptoms.