Samoan seasonal workers sing during Australian hotel quarantine

[July 23, 2021]    CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia's strict hotel quarantine requirements leaves most people frustrated and angry, but a group of quarantined seasonal workers from Samoa sang from their hotel room balconies in Hobart to say thank you instead.

A group of Samoan quarantined seasonal workers in Hobart, Australia were seen singing collectively from different hotel rooms on Sunday 

Taking their lead from someone conducting outside the hotel, they sang a Samoan hymn called "U'a Fa'afetai, u'a malie mata e va'ai", which is about expressing thankfulness to what one's eyes can see.

They were also doing this to thank the Australian Defence Force, police and government for their efforts, according to Dennie Teniseli, who filmed the video on June 18 not long after the group flew in.

Australia has since March 2020 shut its international border to non-citizens but it has allowed just over 1,500 people from the Pacific to temporarily enter and work on farms in a bit to ease labour shortages.

They were completing quarantine requirements, before travelling on to Victoria state to work on farms and in meat shops.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; and Kokkai Ng; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

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