26 Mar 2020

Samoa officially on lock down

2:00 pm on 26 March 2020

Samoa is now officially on lock down.

The government said people or organisations who don't adhere to new Covid-19 lockdown requirements will face finds.

Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi said the last flights from Fiji, New Zealand and American Samoa had arrived and all passengers are now under 14 days quarantine.

Samoa PM Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi addresses the UN session in Apia

Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi. Photo: UN

The flights from New Zealand and Fiji were mostly scholarship students ordered home by government after the closure of their educational institutions.

Tuila'epa also announced that all fishing boats had now been banned from coming to Samoa effectively closing ports to all vessels except cargo ships bringing goods and petrol.

"This means we now wait for two weeks and see what happens and based on that, further decisions will be made on the next stage for us," Tuilaepa said.