Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has establish the government’s 21-member COVID-19 Task Force, which is to conduct and perform the required work to ensure that the governor and the lieutenant governor “receive comprehensive information and recommendations on the Coronavirus for them to make decisions.”

Specifically, the Task Force is to develop an Action Plan to respond to combating the COVID-19 and the task force met yesterday to finalize the work that was done by the original group appointed to begin developing the plan. That original working group, whose co-chairs are the directors of Education and Port Administration was appointed by the governor late last month and was tasked to provide a plan for America Samoa to prepare and respond to the coronavirus.

And that group has been involved with meetings where discussions of the coronavirus updates were made as the group worked on finalizing their plan. The co-chairs of the group also attended yesterday’s meeting, led by Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga, who is also the acting governor.

Lolo announced the COVID-19 task force establishment during a teleconference call at last Sunday afternoon’s cabinet briefing on the coronavirus at the Emergency Operations Center.

The governor gave a briefing on what the task force will be doing, including finalizing the territory’s prepare and response plan that will also include designated facilities to quarantine suspected cases as well as LBJ Medical Center’s recommendation to use its Behavioral Health Center facility to isolate and treat persons infected with the virus.

He said the task force duties, which were already discussed first with Lemanu, also looked at the costs involved and ways to continue ASG operations in the event there is a virus case in the territory. For example have ASG personnel work from home using modern technology.

He directed the task force to get its plan and work completed as soon as possible and the send it to the US Department of Interior, the US Census for Disease Control and Prevention — which might be able to provide funding — and Congresswoman Aumua Amata.

“We do what’s practical for our people and also prepare and protect our people,” he said, adding that, “our policies are expected to change due to what’s happening now” with the global spread of COVID-19.

He urged DoH to continue with the “beef up” of health screening and surveillance at the territory’s ports of entry and requested that Public Safety assign police officers to the airport — if needed — with security especially on Hawaiian Airlines’ flight nights.

The Task force chairman is the governor’s executive assistance Iulologologo Joseph Perieira, who Lolo said had chaired the LBJ board for many years in the past, and the two co-chairs are LBJ chief executive officer, Faumuina John Faumuina and Heath director Motusa Tuileama Nua. Other task force members are cabinet directors including president of the American Samoa Community College.

Lolo directed bosses for the American Samoa Power Authority and the American Samoa TeleCommunications Authority to ensure that they have representation on all task force meetings as well as meetings of the working groups, because the two agencies play a role on any impact on the territory including this deadly virus.

Lolo also announced a 10-member staff for the task force as well as ASG off island consultants, including Mufi Hannemann who will be working with the task force. Lolo appointed Lydia Faleafine Nomura, the local field representative for DOI, as local consultant to the task force.

Current update on the WorldMeters Coronavirus info website and the New York Times coronavirus tracking site shows 729 cases in the US — reported from 36 states and Washington D.C. and a total of 27 deaths — majority in the Seattle area of Washington state.

The World Health Organization reported over the weekend that more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 are confirmed in 100 countries. Additionally, of all the cases reported globally, over the weekend, 93% are from just four countries. See WHO website (www.who.int) for more information.

EARLY BUDGET CALL

The governor also directed ASG Budget and Planning director Catherine A. Saelua to prepare and send out this week the fiscal the budget call letter for fiscal year 2021 — which begins on Oct. 1, 2020. Samoa News notes that the budget call for a new fiscal year usually goes out in late May or early June.

However, Lolo said the early budget call is made in case there’s a wide spread of the virus and the Fono shuts down, leaving the government without approval financing for the new fiscal year.

Lolo reminds cabinet members that all cost-containment measures put in place at the start of the Administration in 2013 remains in affected and there will be no overtime pay at this point and time.