American Sāmoa and Sāmoa

A review of Tuvalu is not included in this issue.

During the year in review, both American Sāmoa and the Independent State of Sāmoa (hereafter called Sāmoa) faced interesting political discussions surrounding their respective constitutions, new pending laws, and preparations for political elections, among other pressing political topics. To begin, both American Sāmoa and Sāmoa received considerable attention in 2019–2020 because of the measles outbreak that infected over five thousand people. The two Samoan governments announced restrictions on interisland travel between the islands until the end of the public health emergency. American Sāmoa’s high immunization coverage saved hundreds of lives, as there were no measles-related deaths. Unfortunately, Sāmoa’s low vaccination coverage resulted in the deaths of eighty-three people, most of them children. There is speculation that the actual number could be even higher, as there may have been additional undocumented deaths in rural areas.

In a major effort to quell the spread of measles, Sāmoa, together with volunteers from around the world, carried out an unprecedented mass vaccination campaign. Sāmoa’s twoday government shutdown at the start of December included the closure of all shops, schools, businesses, and community functions to allow emergency medical team vans and medical staff to reach as many people as possible throughout the islands of ‘Upolu, Savai‘i, Manono, and Apo-lima. Social media and television and radio programs joined in the efforts and relayed government announcements during the door-to-door vaccination campaign. The American Sāmoa government sent supplies of oxygen tanks for the intensive care units in Sāmoa, showing solidarity in a time of emergency with their kin to the west. Lieutenant Governor Josh Green of Hawai‘i, a medical doctor by profession, led a team of more than seventy medical nurses and doctors on a chartered Hawaiian Airlines flight to Sāmoa as part of the World Health Organization’s call for emergency medical teams. The successful twoday campaign resulted in hundreds of people being vaccinated, both adults and children.

Anti-vaccination activists immediately took to social media, condemning the efforts of the government and volunteers and calling for more natural solutions as a remedy for the measles. The most popular Samoan anti-vaxxer, Edward Tamasese, was charged with violating section 41 of the 2013 Crimes Act, which forbids inciting “hostility against the Government of Samoa in circumstances where a risk of ‘lawlessness, violence, or disorder’ is present” (so, 8 Dec 2019). At the end of December 2019, Sāmoa proposed and passed the Infants Amendment Bill 2019, which enforced compulsory immunization as a school-entry requirement. At the beginning of the new year, Samoan Opposition Minister of Parliament (mp) Olo Fiti Va‘ai supported the urgent call by the public for a Commission of Inquiry into the measles outbreak. Va‘ai publicly apologized to the people of Sāmoa during a parliamentary session, stating, “We [the Samoan Government] failed you, Samoa” (so, 7 Dec 2020). Ironically, Sāmoa had just commemorated the one hundredth anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more than 20 percent of the Samoan population.

Not long after the measles epidemic subsided, at the start of 2020, the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019, also known as covid-19, became a worldwide pandemic that led to millions of cases. This pandemic continues to ravage countries around the world, causing millions of deaths. Fortunately, American Sāmoa and Sāmoa remain covid-19-free, with no identified cases. Implementing a strict quarantine and closing international borders, including between the two Sāmoas, have both proved successful. Sāmoa has only allowed limited, sanctioned flights from Aotearoa/New Zealand into the islands, and only for those who have undergone strict quarantine and received a covid-19 medical clearance. All arrivals have been required to quarantine in Sāmoa for fourteen days before being released to family or friends. American Sāmoa discussed opening its borders to incoming flights from Hawai‘i but then reconsidered due to the state’s spike in covid-19 cases. Hundreds of residents of both American S...