(GOVT. PRESS SECRETARIAT, 20 th Jan.2021); Ten returning Samoans from Australia including an 11
month year old toddler have been tested positive for COVID19.
And the positive tests results will be transported to New Zealand at the earliest flight to determine if
they had contracted the Delta or the Omicron COVID variant.
Arriving yesterday afternoon on a direct flight from Brisbane Australia, the 73 passengers including the
positive cases had met all the health and border security requirements including their full vaccination
dictated by the Government of Samoa before granted authorization to return home
And Director General of Health, Leausa Samau Dr. Take Naseri highly suspects that they may have
contracted the Omicron variant before leaving Brisbane.

“Omicron is highly transmittable and very contagious
compared to the Delta variant. Omicron as we have
witnessed from overseas poses a high mobility that will
devastate our country if there is a community outbreak,”
added the Health Chief Executive.
And from the impeccable security and surveillance
measures not to mention the swift containment and
isolation strategies in place for situation such as now,
Leausa is a confident health professional.
“We are confident that there is no community
transmission (as of today 20 th January 2022) in the
country,” he reassured.
Among the compulsory requirement in place for all new
arrivals is for SWAB tests at the Airport before they are
discharged to their selected Isolation Quarters even after testing negative overseas before departing
and paramount complying with all of Samoa’s Health and Border Security Mandates.
ISOLATION IN PLACE

The positive cases have been placed under Isolation at the Moto’otua National Hospital. And nine
passengers who had close contact with the 10 are have been isolated and quarantined at the Faleolo
Health Clinic across from the Airport.
The rest of the passengers are quarantine and isolated in ten various locations for daily checks and
monitoring purposes.
Even Health staff on duty to process the flight are in isolation at the National Hospital Compound until
the coast is clear.
“Isolating the health staff is made in the best interest of the families and to eliminate any chances of a
community transmission outbreak,” said Leausa. “It’s a huge ask for the staff but it must be done.”