Governor continues defining essential and non-essential services

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Government functions, considered essential services under the current Code Red, now include Judicial and Legislative branches, according to Gov. Lemanu Peleti Palepoi Sialega Mauga’s Mar. 7 memorandum which provides ‘Additional Guidance for COVID-19 While We are in Code Red’.

The memo, issued the same date that the governor extended the continued COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, is to clarify issues that have come up as Code Red has been implemented. In particular, it explains what is an essential service and non-essential service under Code Red and the Mar. 7 memo supersedes the one issued Mar. 2.

On the issue of “Essential Government functions” the new memo now includes “the judiciary and court staff, legislature and legislative staff... ”

For essential infrastructure, it now includes “legal services”. Under “agriculture and farms” it now includes  “commercial and subsistence fishing”.

The governor’s memo also spells out what is considered non-essential business including the community swimming pool, “unless it is being used to support training for essential services”.

“To the extent possible, contact between people who do not live in the same household should be minimized. Remote work should be maximized. Social distancing and mask use are paramount. All eligible persons should be vaccinated,” the memo says.

It also states that pursuant to local statute, “departments and agencies shall implement and interpret the Emergency Declaration in accordance with this memorandum. It may be updated as we confront new challenges and seek to resolve questions.”

Click on attachment below to download pdf of full text of ‘Additional Guidance for COVID-19 While We are in Code Red’.