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Gov tasks health leaders with plan for flight for stranded residents

Says a firm plan should be in place if and when he makes a decision
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has instructed health and hospital leaders along with physicians to come up with a plan, which includes recommendations, on how the government would carry out a repatriation flight to bring home American Samoa residents stranded in the U.S.

The governor gave the verbal instructions at Sunday’s government COVID-19 task force meeting, where he also announced a special committee to plan the details of an “exercise” next week that will test ASG’s ability to handle an incoming flight with a scenario of 300 passengers on board.

According to the governor a firm plan should be in place if and when he makes a decision dealing with a U.S repatriation flight.

The governor made no mention of a widely circulated petition spearheaded by the “Tagata Tu Fa’atasi Alliance” group calling on the governor and territorial government leaders for a repatriation flight to bring back home American Samoa residents stranded in the US since flights between Honolulu and Pago Pago were suspended in late March.

(Samoa News should point out that while the governor mentions 300 to be repatriated, the TTFA-AS latest count is around 400.)

At the task force meeting, the governor noted that flights between Honolulu and Pago Pago remain suspended through the end of September and acknowledged that many local residents remain stranded in the US wanting to come home and prayers will continue for God’s guidance on returning these residents home.

Lolo points out that the coronavirus continues to impact Hawaii and the US mainland, but says that the government cannot continue on this path forward — with closed borders.

Lolo then instructed Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua, LBJ Medical Center chief executive officer Faumuina John Faumuina to meet with local physicians to come up with a plan going forward for returning local residents stranded off island.

And he posed questions for these officials to look at — what should be done if American Samoa re-opens flights, and how to carry out such a plan. He gave them this whole week to come up with a plan.

“Should flights re-open or not? If not re-open, what next and what are other options to consider?” Lolo asked, and reiterated that the territory cannot continue on the current path as a change needs to come about either this month or next month.

And if the governor does make a decision to operate a repatriation flight, what does the government need to do on the ground when the flight arrives, according to Lolo, who then announced a planning committee to plan an “exercise” for Sept. 10th, with a focus on a Hawaiian Airlines charter flight arriving with 300 passengers.

He said the time frame for such an exercise starts at 6p.m with people heading to the airport and up to 11:30p.m when the flight departs.

The nine-member committee is co-chaired by Port Administration director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Poumele and Police Commissioner Le’i Sonny Thompson. The governor is giving this committee until this Friday to come up with a plan for the exercise.

Other committee members are: Motusa, Faumuina, Public Works director Faleosina Voigt, Homeland Security director Alfonso ‘Pete’ Galea’i, acting chief procurement officer Tuimavave Tauapa’i Laupola and Youth and Women’s Affairs acting director Pau Roy Ausage.

The exercise plan, according to the governor, is to identify all those who will be involved — such as physicians, first-responders and all required ASG personnel to be at the airport. The plan, is to be submitted to the task force first before it is presented to the governor, and should also include whether the government is prepared to quarantine 300 travelers, what’s needed for quarantine, and the number of available quarantine spaces.

“If a decision is made to bring down a charter, the plan should have details of the local preparation and response,” the governor said and noted that recommendations on whether or not to operate a repatriation flight are also to be submitted first to the task force for review before being forwarded to the governor.

This is the first time that the governor has mentioned a repatriation flight from the U.S, as Lolo had been firm on keeping borders closed with Hawaii due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, not only in Hawai’i, but in the U.S mainland too.