A total of 6,273 Samoans have been successfully repatriated home since the Covid-19 State of Emergency Orders were issued in April 2020.
The Disaster Advisory Committee said 5,088 Samoans repatriated arrived from Auckland including Samoans transiting from the United States and Europe.
Over 350 residents (369 mostly returning seasonal workers) returned from Australia with Fiji accounting for 205, while an additional 503 residents from neighboring American Samoa according to a report by Savali newspaper.
Cabinet with the endorsement from Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa accepted a request from National Emergency Operation Centre to temporarily suspend the remain repatriating flights originally scheduled for October as the Quarantine Sites are overwhelmed with over 580 Samoans undergoing the mandatory 21 days Quarantine period.
The Prime Minister also noted that the costs borne by Government for repatriation expenditures is also an issue that Cabinet is mindful of.
Unlike New Zealand where returning residents pay for their repatriation and quarantine costs, the Samoan Government is footing the bill for quarantine operations, (accommodation, food etc.) for returning citizens.
And according to the External Situation Report, repatriation expenditures are about $20 million tala so far.
More flights for the remaining two months of the year have been approved by Cabinet this week.
However, there could be changes depending on the unpredictable circumstances with the outbreak of Covid-19 outside of Samoa.
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