Reaching out to Samoans in U.S. with COVID-19 info

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Los Angeles is reaching out to Samoans and other Pacific Islanders to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. These images are among the graphics adapted by Los Angeles County, and shared with other cities and states, as part of a large public awareness campaign to get the message out.

One image tells people to meet others outside of the home and maintain social distancing of 6-feet. Another tells people that gathering in groups can spread the virus fast and another image provides contact information.

In a news release late last month, the Southern California Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team (SoCal PICRT), in partnership with the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office released the Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander COVID-19 Community Toolkit, which they described as a rich resource that includes infographics and public service announcements (PSAs) in Chamorro, Hawaiian, Marshallese, Samoan, and Tongan languages.

Featuring many familiar faces of elders, faith leaders, and families, the toolkit uses cultural images and keywords to encourage community members to practice social distancing, wear masks, wash hands frequently, and limit gatherings to small groups.

"We hope that individuals and organizations in our NHPI community put these important tools to good use to help stop the spread of this deadly disease," said Kawen Young, the SoCal PICRT Lead, in the news release.

"We're grateful to LA County for understanding that when people can see themselves in the messaging, they're more likely to take notice," Young said.

“Across the nation, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are being disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Southern California Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team (SoCal PICRT) aims to provide information and resources to help our community stay healthy and safe,” according to the message on the SoCal PICRT website https://www.pacificislanderhealth.org where these graphics can also be found.

The toolkit has also been provided to health officials at the City and County of Honolulu, with a large community of Pacific islanders, including Samoans. Others groups in Hawaii have also received the information including a public relations firm in Honolulu that provided the information to Samoa News over the weekend.

Based on data released by the Hawaii Department of Heath, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper reports early last week that while Pacific Islanders make up just 4% of Hawaii’s population, they represent 27% of the state’s newly confirmed coronavirus cases.

A shout out to @CountyofLA for these graphics, which will help give Samoan communities in the US a better understanding of this deadly pandemic and the need to take seriously preventive measures such as wearing face masks and social distancing.