The American Samoa government has agreed to repatriation flights for Samoan citizens stranded in the territory due to the Covid pandemic. The flights are exclusively for returning citizens from American Samoa and will not take back any passengers, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Chairman, Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo.
He said the repatriation flight is in line with the Government s Covid 19 Border Security, and takes into account the post-flood relief and rehabilitation and reconstruction from the flooding that greatly affected the country last week.
Samoa s Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, CEO. Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo.
Photo: Samoa government
Samoa s Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, CEO. Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo.
Photo: Samoa government
Chairman of the Center, Agafili Shem Leo, said more than 160 passengers from flights from New Zealand and Fiji on December 7 would need to have two negative final covid tests before they were released.
He also confirmed that 231 passengers on a flight from New Zealand 4 December had been released from quarantine last Friday, after all returning two negative covid tests.
Meanwhile a cargo flight from New Zealand which had been cancelled last Friday due to flooding at the airport arrived late on Saturday afternoon.
Agafili said after the stormy weather cleared and flooded areas of the airport were cleaned out.