American Samoa's governor has exempted the territory's tuna cannery from measures that restrict gatherings in the territory.
File photo. Photo: RNZI / Monica Miller
Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga's emergency declaration limits gatherings to no more than 10 people, orders schools closed, and enforces staggered working hours.
But a special exemption was made by the governor for the Starkist cannery which, with more than 2000 workers, is the territory's largest employer.
The company said its staff worked shifts, undergo health checks before they start, and have stepped up hygiene practices.
The governor said that measures would be taken to close the cannery if the coronavirus spread throughout the Pacific.