The National Emergency Operation Center (N.E.O.C.) and the Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) are yet to release statements explaining the rationale behind their decision to release the frontline workers after 14 days.

On Sunday Samoa Airways staff, airport workers, Police officers, Immigration and Customs officials were released from the Sheraton Mulifanua quarantine site after spending two weeks in quarantine.

They were quarantined three days after the arrival of a charter flight from Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday 19 January – with 10 passengers out of 73 testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival. 

A Samoa Airways cargo officer told the Samoa Observer in a previous interview that  he believed that they were released from quarantine early because their tests for two weeks all came back negative.

The Samoa Observer had sent an email to the Director-General of the M.O.H. Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, N.E.O.C. Chair Agafili Shem Leo, and the Government Press Secretariat Nanai Laveitiga Tuiletufuga on Sunday regarding the early release of those who had been quarantined. However, to date no response had been received.

The M.O.H. Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Tagaloa Dr. Robert Thomsen was contacted for comment by this newspaper but could not release any information.

Tagaloa told the Samoa Observer that the report has been given to N.E.O.C. hence he cannot release any information as they will be the ones to release the information.

A "situational report" issued by the Government Press Secretariat on Saturday showed that there is are no new cases of COVID-19 in the country and there is no evidence of community transmission.

This assessment was made following the 7th round of the COVID-19 testing schedule on Friday which targeted everyone who is currently in managed isolation.

The summary of the test results were made in a press release which was distributed to the media on Saturday afternoon by the Press Secretariat.

All passengers of flight QF 115 from Australia and all front line workers that serviced the flight who are all in quarantine were tested and no new positive case was identified, according to the Press Secretariat and there is no evidence of community transmission.