Apia, SAMOA — Samoa's Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) has advised that all incoming passengers from American Samoa can self-isolate in their respective homes.

The new COVID-19 protocols were announced in a revised travel advice issued by the Ministry for travelers from American Samoa entering Samoa.

According to the new changes, all passengers or guardians must sign consent for self or home isolation.

“All passengers are responsible for their own transport and self/home isolation arrangements on arrival into Samoa,” reads the revised M.O.H. travel advise. 

Furthermore, all arriving passengers into Samoa are required to wear face masks at all times and upon arrival must submit to a nasal pharyngeal swab for PCR testing.

The travel advisory also revealed that all passengers are required to arrange and have a medically supervised Rapid Antigen Test (R.A.T.) done at any health facility or private clinic on day three and day seven of self or home isolation and report the results to the M.O.H.

“Any passenger with a positive test must self/ home isolate for 10 days from the date tested positive with a repeat test done on the tenth day.

“All close contacts of a positive case must also self/home isolate for seven days with R.A.T. test done on day seven. All positive R.A.T. tests require a nasopharyngeal swab to be done for PCR and Genomic testing.

Passengers must also provide a valid local phone number and email or Facebook address. The Health Ministry also cautioned that self-testing at home is not acceptable.

All passengers traveling from outside of American Samoa are required to complete 10 days from the date of arrival into American Samoa. Any passenger arriving within the 10-day period will be denied entry and returned back to American Samoa.

Only Samoa residents or citizens, essential workers and those approved for medical and visa clearance are allowed to enter Samoa.

Read more at Samoa Observer