American Samoan residents and students are traveling from Fiji to Samoa on a special chartered repatriation flight.
It was announced by the Samoa Government in an amended State of Emergency Declaration issued yesterday that the group of travelers from Fiji will not be quarantined in Apia, but must depart for the territory as soon as they arrive at Faleolo Airport.
The travelers have been able to fly from Fiji as part of an approved private chartered Fiji Airways flight organized by a Fijian company who have workers stranded in Apia.
The group traveling from Fiji include students studying there and returning resident doctors.
The date of the charter from Fiji to Samoa is not known but it’s expected that the travelers will be flying from Samoa on the inter Samoa airlines, Talofa Airways and Samoa Airways.
No information could be obtained from the Chairman of the Coronavirus Task Force Iulogologo Joseph Pereira as he has stopped answering KHJ News questions for up to three weeks now. Other members of the Task Force we have approached say Iulogologo is the only one to answer media questions.
Governor Lolo Moliga said during the opening of the Alternative Care Facility yesterday that the group of specialized and skilled workers will begin arriving from Samoa today.
He said that the travelers arriving today will use the Alternative Care Facility which is behind the Tafuna Community Health Center. He added that if the buildings do not have beds, the travelers p, who are Samoan, can use sleeping mats.
The Samoa Government’s amended State of Emergency orders said, “For travelers to American Samoa, they must depart for American Samoa as soon as they arrive in Samoa and therefore not subject to the requirements of quarantine but are still subject to other medical clearance approved by the Director General of Health.”
Talofa Airways announced yesterday that it has two confirmed two flights this week for passengers and cargo.
Passengers traveling from Faleolo to Pago Pago must be on the specialized workers list pre-approved by the American Samoa Governor. Passengers traveling from Pago Pago to Faleolo must be returning residents of Samoa.
The Talofa Airways flights are today and Thursday, American Samoa time.
No information was available on Samoa Airways flights.
