Due to the global covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, American Samoa has announced it will not host the Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG) as scheduled this year.
Polynesian Leaders Group summit in Tuvalu, 28 June 2018. Photo: Tuvalu Government Media
American Samoa was to host the inter-governmental meeting involving eight Polynesian members in April.
Originally the territory was to host the event in July 2019 but Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga asked Tuvalu, which hosted the Pacific Forum meeting, to host the PLG alongside the forum.
Lolo had said the territory would step up and host the meeting in January 2020 instead.
However, because of the Samoan measles epidemic, the governor then postponed the meeting until April.
At a Cabinet meeting today, Lolo said the territory will no longer host the PLG meeting because of the threat posed by covid-19.