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New requirements temporarily delayed repatriation flights

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Many complain “OK Board” should have been made clear on Monday
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Twenty-four hours after ASG implemented its repatriation plan to return back to the territory local residents stranded in Samoa after inter-Samoa borders were closed two months ago, the local Attorney General’s Office issued an advisory yesterday morning that “OK Board” is required for returning residents.

Another requirement is that the airlines — Samoa Airways and Talofa Airways — must submit to the AG’s office the passenger manifest. Samoa News learned yesterday that the manifest is required prior to the plane departing Apia, and this was the cause of flights being delayed on Wednesday.

The repatriation plan began on Wednesday afternoon with flights from Apia and arrivals were taken by school bus — with a police escort — to the Department of Youth and Women’s Affairs facility in Pago Pago for the required 14-day quarantine.  

Families of returning residents say that there were last minute requirements by the ASG that should have been made public early this week. Families complained that the last minute requirement of “OK Board” should have been made clear on Monday this week.

“Due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus,” the AG’s office said, the travel advisory is to be used for guidance in applying for an “OK Board” through the AG’s Office Travel Division.

The public is advised that “OK Boards will ONLY be issued to returning American Samoa residents — U.S citizens, US nationals, and legal residents,” the advisory states and outlined travel requirements.

For example, Valid US passport and local ID — i.e — American Samoa driver’s license, local Voter ID, LBJ hospital ID, government ID, or with one of the following as exceptions:

• American Samoa Certificate of Identify (CI) with local ID, or

• foreign nationals with valid passport and American Samoa Immigration ID

If the local CI or Immigration card is expired, entry is permitted within one year from date of travel.

The advisory also states that a copy of ALL passport pages is required. If the traveler has more than one passport, all other passports (i.e. Samoa passport, New Zealand passport) and their pages must be included in the OK Board application.

Furthermore, arrivals are required to complete a local Health Department declaration form.

And all required documents must be submitted to the AG’s Office Travel Division via email — okboard@la.as.gov — and for more information contact AG’s Office at 633-4163.

The airlines are advised that they are required to submit the passenger manifest to the AG’s Office email: okboard@la.as.gov.

“All returning residents will be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine” by local DoH, according to the advisory.