No coronavirus cases have been reported in American Samoa, but the region closed to the world in March. Some local residents have not returned home since then.
Despite the fact that more than 217,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States, no cases of the potentially deadly virus have been reported in American Samoa.
The remote U.S. territory — a small island located in the Pacific Ocean about the same distance between Hawaii and New Zealand — is the only part of the country that has managed to remain completely COVID-19 free. It is believed that for this you need to thank the governor, who completely closed the island to the outside world at the end of March.
This decision saved 55 thousand from the coronavirus. On the other hand, it has left hundreds of residents stranded in the States, away from their homes, for months. Some of them left for treatment or caring for sick family members. Now they are running out of money, energy and patience, writes BFN. You just have to wait for the day when you will be able to return home.
According to Eileen Tyrell, a spokesman for the Alliance of American Samoa, an organization that seeks the return of Samoan citizens home, more than 500 residents are in dire straits and face many serious problems, including immigration.
In September, the Governor of American Samoa, Lolo Matalasi Moliga, extended the suspension of flights to and from the island until at least the end of October, Samoa News reported. Earlier, Moliga stated that his priority is «to protect the lives of all residents of American Samoa, despite the pressure from citizens stranded in other countries who demand to return home.»
“We certainly do not forget about the sincere prayers and desire of our residents to get home, but from our point of view, they are in the best place to seek medical help if necessary,” he said.
Activists have created a petition and tried to reach government officials with ideas for how they can safely return, but so far nothing has changed.
