Over 50 frontline workers get mandatory Covid-19 tests

By Talaia Mika

APIA, SAMOA – 21 JANUARY 2022: Over fifty frontline workers were tested this morning after the National Emergency Operations Center confirmed 10 positive cases of Covid-19 yesterday.

The mandatory tests for the frontline employees who were involved in processing the repatriation flight that brought the infected passengers from Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday afternoon. The frontline workers include Samoa Airways employees, Ministry of Health, NEOC, Ministry of Police and Samoa Airport Authority.

The test results will be released tomorrow.

In light of maintaining Samoa Covid-19 free, the frontline employees wearing face masks crowded the old Motootua hospital wing to get tested in the early hours before the doors were even open.

For the time being, they have been advised to remain at their homes and keep face masks on.

Due to work policies, none of the frontliners are allowed to speak with the media. However, one of the Airline employees who worked at the Faleolo International airport on Wednesday this week said he rushed to the hospital this morning to get tested for the safety of his children.
“I was in my room the whole day yesterday when we were advised about the positive cases,” he said.

“It’s not the first time as everyone knows we had positive cases before so I always keep myself isolated in my room whenever there’s a case because of my children.”

In the normal procedure, all frontline employees get tested twice after every repatriation flight. However, they are now only tested if there’s a confirmed positive case of Covid-19.

According to the employee, this is the fifth time they have been tested since last year.

The samples of the ten passengers who tested positive will be sent to New Zealand to confirm which variant they had been infected with.

NEOC is expected to provide a further update on Saturday since the highest number of Covid-19 cases that have been detected in the country.