Samoa has lifted the ban on travelers from American Samoa which was put in place after the territory reported its first coronavirus case last month.
Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa told media that according to a report she’s received the territory’s confirmed cases no longer pose a threat.
Flights to American Samoa were not interrupted but Samoa banned travelers from the territory until the strain of the positive coronavirus cases was determined. Aircraft taking travelers from Samoa to American Samoa returned empty during the ban.
The PM said flights to and from the territory will operate on Thursday and Saturday, Samoa time. She noted that Samoa had been sending patients to American Samoa who needed CT scans. The cat scan at the national hospital Motootua has been down for some months.
KHJ News understands that some of the Samoa patients have been waiting to return home since the ban on travelers from American Samoa.
Meanwhile the New Zealand government has opened up more opportunities for quarantine-free travel from Samoa.
Fiame said that New Zealand citizens and permanent residents from Samoa will not have to quarantine upon arrival in New Zealand.
Also afforded quarantine-free entry to New Zealand are Samoan patients who qualify under the medical treatment scheme.
According to Fiame, the case of Samoan scholarship students to New Zealand is being discussed but there may be a decision on this by January 2022.
