Repatriation flight

Passengers on Fiji repatriation flight in quarantine

The flight was approved by Cabinet earlier this year, a statement said.

Passengers included returning residents namely scholarship students who have completed their awards, transiting seafarers from Europe, and other expatriates who work in Samoa.

The flight also brought home a Samoan citizen who travelled to accompany his spouse to India for medical treatment in 2019, and was unable to return to Samoa due to universal Covid- 19 restrictions.

All passengers upon arrival at Faleolo International Airport undertook their first tests.

Negative Covid test results for 272 passengers on Samoa repatriation flight

The passengers were swabbed upon arrival, and all returned negative results on Sunday morning.

The National Emergency Operations Centre said the passengers are now in 21 days of quarantine at quarantine sites.

The NEOC said 134 highest risk frontline workers were also quarantined, straight after processing the flight, a new policy measure now in place to ensure minimal threat of the spread of Covid-19 beyond our borders.

Samoa authorities investigate alleged breach of State of Emergency Orders

The report will determine whether there are sufficient grounds to refer the alleged breach of the State of Emergency (SOE) Orders to Police for the appropriate criminal action.

The SOE prohibits any person returning to Samoa for personal reasons and it is compulsory for them to file a formal request in writing with the appropriate local officials for authorization to do, a Government release said.

Samoa schedules repatriation flights for Jan - Mar

The flights are from Australia and New Zealand.

A Government release said a Fiji Airways charter will also bring home scholarship students awaiting their final exam results and people from the region moving in Samoa for employment as planned for the third week of January.

Three Qantas charter flights are scheduled to repatriate Seasonal Workers from Samoa to Australia on 14th , 20th and 25th January.

On 22nd January there is an Air New Zealand repatriation flight from Auckland New Zealand.

Seasonal workers among 288 passengers on Samoa repatriation flight

The flight yesterday afternoon had on board 201 Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme workers who were based in New Zealand.

Thirty-five passengers travelled from Australia, Europe and the United States.

A statement said the rest of the passengers were from New Zealand.

Three repatriation flights have been scheduled for June.

Two flights on 4 June and 25 June are from New Zealand.

A chartered flight from Australia scheduled for 5 June will take seasonal workers to Australia.

The flight is also expected to carry passengers from Australia to Samoa.

First Australian repatriation flight from India lands in Darwin

The government said 80 people arrived in Darwin on Saturday, and would be quarantined for a fortnight.

Their Qantas flight was originally scheduled to carry 150 people onboard.

But 70 passengers were later barred from travel after testing positive for coronavirus or coming into close contact with others who were.

Australia's strict rules on pre-flight testing meant there was not enough time for the seats to be given to others waiting to return.

Australia to resume repatriation flights from India

The government's controversial ban, which made it an offence for people to try and re-enter Australia after being in India within the prior 14 days, began on Monday and was due to finish on 15 May.

Morrison said the National Security Committee met yesterday and agreed it saw "no need to extend it beyond that date".

"The original decision to put in place that biosecurity order until the 15th of May has proved very effective and it will run its full course until that time without any change," he said.

Tokelau head pays tribute to Samoan repatriation help

Kelihiano Kalolo said words could not adequately express the heartfelt thanks towards the Samoa government and its people.

"They accommodated our requests at a time when they were also desperate to bring their own citizens home."

He said Samoa gave up space reserved for their citizens and resources such as beds in managed isolation and testing capacity.

"Without this generosity, our people would not have been able to make it home," Kalolo said.

First group of Tokelauans repatriated since start of Covid-19 pandemic

The trip is expected to be one of the happiest for the islanders who set sail from Samoa on Wednesday and are relieved they will be home for Christmas.

The group had arrived in Apia on a repatriation flight from New Zealand on 13 November.

But they had to spend an extra week in isolation in Samoa on top of the required 14 days after a passenger on the same flight tested positive for Covid-19.

Some of the 33 people who are undergoing yet another 14 days quarantine on their home atolls of Fakaofo and Nukunonu have been stuck in New Zealand since March.

Samoa postpones first US repatriation flight

The flight, scheduled to arrive this weekend has been postponed to a later, yet to be confirmed date.

The Prime Minister, Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, announced the decision reached by cabinet on Wednesday and apologised to the families of the 300 passengers booked for the flight.

He also apologised to the returning Samoans, especially seafarers, who had been waiting for months to return home after their contracts ended since March.

Tuila'epa said the government paid for the flight but the money would not be recovered.