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Home / Travel

Quarantined Samoan workers sing from Hobart hotel balconies

NZ Herald
22 Jul, 2021 03:48 AM2 mins to read

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Quarantined Samoan workers sing from Hobart hotel balconies. Video / Hemal Dangar, Tiktok

A mystery musician inspired a spontaneous concert for Samoan guests undergoing isolation in a Hobart quarantine hotel.

On Sunday, bystander Hemal Dangar captured the moment on video when 90 hotel balconies erupted in singing.

The hotel rooms were filled with seasonal workers on the Bathurst St side of the Best Western Hobart.

The guests can be heard singing the Samoan hymn E Sili, sili lou Atua (How great is our God) along with cries of "Hallelujah!"

"This would've definitely brought high spirits for these guests," Dangar captioned his TikTok video of the man's soundsystem. "Respect."

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The video shows a very literal wall of sound.

200 Samoan seasonal workers were unite in song on the balconies of the Best Western in Hobart, Tasmania. Photo / Tiktok
200 Samoan seasonal workers were unite in song on the balconies of the Best Western in Hobart, Tasmania. Photo / Tiktok

ABC' Asia Pacific newsroom reported there were 200 seasonal workers from Samoa were in Hobart getting ready to leave quarantine and work on farms.

Reporter Tali Aualiitia was moved by the video, taking to twitter to write: "My people! My home! My heart!"

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This comment from the below TikTok 😭 https://t.co/qTmOij7yje pic.twitter.com/fhzizxISR1

— Tali Aualiitia (@taliaualiitia) July 21, 2021

Once the other side of quarantine the workers will go on to work around Australia.

The Victorian government recently struck a deal with Tasmania to quarantine 1500 workers from the Pacific Islands.

In return Victoria is helping Tasmania repatriate 330 Australians who are still overseas and quarantine them in Victorian facilities.

Under the Pacific Labour Scheme seasonal workers are entitled to the same rights as Australians. This includes state minimum wages.

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One commentator said her brother-in-law was on the hotel balconies, "straight from Samoa residing in Australia for a few years to help family Back home."

Dangar said he hoped they enjoyed the video and was aiming for the video to be seen back in Samoa. "Mission accomplished!" he wrote.

Some people pointed out that the video appeared to show multiple people in each room, asking whether this was allowed under isolation management.

"Best Western Hobart was able to accommodate two individuals per room on the occasion of arriving as seasonal workers," said a spokesperson for the hotel chain. "All guests have tested negative and are set to be released Tuesday, 27 July."

The hotel said this would be a one-off event. Tasmanian Health has told guests to "minimise the risk of community transmission" from aerosols by seeing out the remainder of their quarantine with a little less singing.

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