14 Mar 2020

Half of flight's passengers to self-quarantine in American Samoa

12:07 pm on 14 March 2020

About half of 210 passengers, who arrived in American Samoa on Monday night's Hawaiian Airlines flight, have been instructed to self quarantine at home.

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Photo: AFP

KHJ News reported that only five people were quarantined at Leone Health Center.

American Samoa's Health Director, Motusa Tuileama Nua, said only people arriving from cities with high concentrations of coronavirus cases were being quarantined at the heath centre.

Travellers in home quarantine are given brochures about the coronavirus and instructed not to go anywhere for 14 days, he said.

Once there is a confirmed coronavirus case, people who are self quarantined may need to be monitored by police, Motusa said.

Testing people in American Samoa could be done in Hawai'i but it was not clear when the US state would receive test kits, he said.