E.J. Vaeua is thrilled to have his daily post-work workout back in his schedule after the scenic trail at Mount Vaea reopened for public use on Monday. 

As well as Mount Vaea and the favourite trail up to Robert Louis Stevenson’s tomb, all Nature Reserves are open for public use again under the relaxed state of emergency orders released on Friday last week that came into effect on Sunday.

In a public notice, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (M.N.R.E.) has strongly advised everyone to maintain two metres of distance between themselves and others, and the Fale Samoa in the Mt. Vaea carpark should not be used for gathering in.

Mr. Vaeua told the Samoa Observer he missed having his regular walking trail for the last two weeks, and that he made do with a less intense trail around Palisi. 

But now his daily routine is back and he couldn’t be more pleased.

He is not the only one. The parking lot up to the mountain was full, with cars parked half way up the driveway from Cross Island Road. 

The Government has also allowed non-contact sports to resume, which include the likes of golf, volleyball and cricket. It is not clear when all sports will be allowed to resume their activities.

On Monday 20 April the Government closed the popular walking trail up the mountain because it had become crowded.

Concerned that people were not sticking to social distancing rules, M.N.R.E. opted to close the trail until further notice, to the disappointment of many frequent climbers.