Samoa closes travel with American Samoa as community cases increase

Staff Reporters

APIA, SAMOA – 25 FEBRUARY 2022: Samoa is closing all travel to and from American Samoa – 80 miles across, in the wake of Covid-19 community cases in the territory.

As of yesterday, 18 community cases of Covid-19 have been recorded by the Department of Health.

Director of Health, Motusa Tuileama Nua says 7 new cases were identified during Covid testing at the DOH Alternate Care Facility in Tafuna.

Of the 18 community cases, 3 are DOH employees, 7 are family members of one of the DOH employees, one is a man who tested positive for coronavirus at the LBJ Hospital Emergency Room the day before and 7 tested positive at the DOH Alternate Care Facility Tafuna yesterday.

Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa said travel to and from the territory to Samoa are closed indefinitely as the territory goes to Red – Alert Level Three.

Media reports from the territory last night said there were no positive cases recorded from over 100 people who were tested at the Leone Clinic as well as the 150 people who were tested at the Amouli Clinic.

Meanwhile the Samoan Government has approved following international flights for the next month under the pandemic restrictions.

1) AIR NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT (REPATRIATION / CARGO) 

• 26^th February 2022 : Air New Zealand flight for Cargo only and uplift RSE workers to New Zealand

• 28^th February 2022 : Charter flight to take RSE workers to New Zealand

• 6^th March 2022 : Repatriation flight from Auckland New Zealand

• 29^th March 2022 : Repatriation flight from Auckland New Zealand

2) FIJI AIRWAYS FLIGHT 

• 18^th March 2022: Flight to bring home scholarship students completing their studies and to bring workers in Samoa. This flight is also schedule to bring home; Tafili Fineaso Aimaasu as travelled to India for wife’s medical treatment.

3) QANTAS FLIGHT 

• 2 or 16 March 2022 : Qantas Flight to only uplift Seasonal workers to Australia

At the same time, Cabinet also approved a vessel trip to pull the Submarine Cable for Tokelau’s communication to the world.

• Implement routine health protection for the crew and must be quarantine

• A charted flight from Hawaii to bring in 4 workers to pull the Submarine Cable for Tokelau’s communication to the world.

The National Emergency Operation Centre (N.E.O.C.) has been tasked to coordinate
and monitor these flights, while the Ministry of Health continues to lead the COVID-19 border protection, through enforcement of compliance with Samoa’s travel
advisory.