Samoans stranded off island will have to find their own way home and meet all costs of any health requirements under COVID-19 emergency measures.
Newsline Samoa reports that government will encourage these people to look at organizing charter flights if they want to return home.
Chairman of the National Emergency Operations Centre, Ulu Bismarck Crawley told the newspaper government was considering this move.
“The plan is to encourage all who want to return home to form into groups, attend to all health requirements together, organise and pay their own costs for the chartered flight,” he said.
The chairman added government will offer support to get the group organized if needed, through Samoa’s High Commissions and Consular Offices.
The charter flights will not be allowed to pick up passengers on the return
flight out of Samoa.
An estimated 3,000 Samoan travelers were stranded in New Zealand
when the State of Emergency went into force closing Samoan broders.
More than half that number remain stranded and now have to meet their own costs and organize flights themselves.
“We also have students who have completed studies as well as seafarers who have ended contracts and are stuck where they are unable to travel home.”
Ulu said finding a way to bring them home is still a work in progress with border travel restrictions in every country.
The next repatriation flight from New Zealand is scheduled for 28 August
and no more are planned after that.
