Cabinet has approved flights between Pago Pago and Apia, the Prime Minister confirmed, with flights scheduled this week.

Speaking to Radio 2AP, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi said the state of emergency order will be amended to allow for flights between the two Samoas, with no quarantine requirement for travelers from American Samoa. 

Currently only returning Samoan citizens will be booked onto the repatriation flights, and they will not be quarantined on arrival, but rather permitted to return home and continue as normal. 

They will have to prove they have been in American Samoa for more than 14 days, in order to avoid risks of importing the virus from any other countries, Tuilaepa said. 

According to Talanei, Director of Heath in American Samoa Motusa Tuileama Nua said he plans for 40 citizens a day to be flown home, with 160 altogether waiting to get home.

But passengers returning to Pago Pago will be quarantined upon arrival at the D.Y.W.A. Centre in Pago Pago for 14 days and tested for COVID-19.

“It was stressed that families of those traveling from Samoa understand that they cannot have contact with them while they are in quarantine,” Talanei reports. 

Flights are scheduled to run until Wednesday 24 June. 

The first flight from Pago Pago will be on Wednesday 17, while the first flight from Apia will be on Thursday. 

Tuilaepa said both Talofa Airways and Samoa Airways will carry passengers. 

“Just like Samoa, American Samoa has not confirmed any cases of the virus yet which means we arrange accordingly between us and them,” Tuilaepa said. 

“Not just to them leaving for American Samoa but also for those coming into Samoa (from American Samoa).”

The last repatriation flight to Samoa was from New Zealand, the third of fortnightly flights from Auckland. 

Passengers concluding their 14-day quarantine have been cleared and permitted to return to regular life as none showed symptoms of COVID-19. 

Samoa Airways is advising that for passengers travelling to American Samoa, the requirements are as follows:

A Valid US Passport or local American Samoa ID (Driver’s license, Voter ID, LBJ, Government ID, Cert of Identity or Immigration ID), a copy of all the passport bio-data page and all travel stamped pages (must not have travelled outside of Samoa in the last 60 days) and an MMR vaccination certificate. 

All these documents to be scanned and sent via email to the American Samoa state – travel division via email: [email protected].  Contact: (684) 633-4163 for enquiries

For travelers to Samoa, the website states only to contact the Ministry of Health for more information.