The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, has supported the call for passengers cleared from the mandatory 14-day quarantine to still take extra care.

The initial call was made by senior health official, Tagaloa Dr. Robert Thomsen, last week, after more than a hundred passengers were given the all clear and released to their families.

Tagaloa said all passengers still need to exercise caution for 21-days, even after they had undergone the Government’s 14-day mandatory quarantine. He said the experience from other countries show there is still the possibility of people catching the virus within 21 days.

Speaking during the Health of the Nation Programme on TV1, Leausa added his support to the call.

“Just because they have completed their 14 days of quarantine does not mean they are 100 percent free from the virus,” he said.

Leausa said the Ministry of Health is looking at all possible angles to protect Samoa from the virus. This is why the Ministry has launched a nationwide campaign using promos and advertisements to spread the message on what people can do.

For those who have been released from isolation, Leusa said they still need to be careful.

 "It is very important to use the normal preventative measures like washing hands, keeping a healthy lifestyle and staying home,” he said.

With New Zealand’s fresh coronavirus cases earlier this week, Leausa said this could cause some concerns especially with the repatriation flights.

The Chair of the National Emergency Operations Centre (N.E.O.C), Ulu Bismarck Crawley, echoed the message for everyone to take extra care.