The Government has grouped all villages in Upolu and Savai'i into 13 zones as part of its Alert Level 3 strategy to enable local health authorities to effectively manage and contain the spread of COVID-19.

The names of the villages and the 13 zones they are allocated into were highlighted in a statement issued by the Government Press Secretariat on Saturday evening.

The Press Secretariat said the zones were formulated to help health authorities contain the spread of the virus in the community and to assist with mobilising services during a nationwide lockdown. 

“There are eight zones in Upolu and five in Savaii,” reads the Press Secretariat statement. 

“The purpose for zoning during a nationwide lockdown is to encourage people to use services that are available nearby their homes and villages, to avoid congestion in urban areas, and to limit contact and exposure.

“The COVID-19 virus is clinically proven to be infectious and highly transmissible, especially when people congregate and contact. 

“Limiting contact and people’s movements will help slow and contain the spread of the virus.”

The zones’ features include hospitals as well as critical infrastructure such as shops, gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies, police and fire stations, automatic teller machines and banks.

Furthermore, the statement highlighted that the zoning encourages the public to access services available in their zones, rather than travelling to urban areas to access the same services.

“In the event that relevant services are not available in a zone, such as emergencies requiring transfer to the main hospitals in Upolu and Savaii, banks and pharmacies to name a few, the SOE Orders can accommodate such requests in order to save lives.”

The Government Press Secretariat on Saturday confirmed 34 new community transmission cases to bring the total number of cases nationwide to 45 as of Saturday morning.