Effective November 15th, the Governor’s Emergency Declaration (GED) will no longer require approval from the Department of Health and Department of Legal Affairs on TalofaPass as a prerequisite for entry to American Samoa.
Further, a recommendation by the Department of Health to remove the vaccination mandate has been approved by the Governor and will go into effect with the issuance of the new Emergency declaration ahead of the Thursday, November 17th Hawaiian Air flight.
Once in effect, travellers will find most Covid-19 related questions removed from the system and instead find a brief health questionnaire.
This will allow the Department of Health to continue monitoring the health status of incoming passengers in the event of future outbreaks.
Travellers that aren’t able to complete the health questionnaire online will not be prevented from entry into American Samoa but will be required to fill out the brief health survey upon arrival.
Airline or Ocean Carriers will have the right to deny boarding to any traveller to American Samoa who does not meet immigration requirements.
“TalofaPass was a successful IT solution in response to lessons learned from the repatriation and quarantine period and has always been part of a larger vision of the Lemanu-Talauega administration. This vision and transition include moving the American Samoa Government away from fragmented manual processes toward e-government and a more streamlined, paperless system”, stated the Covid-19 Task Force Chairman Talauega Ale.
The Task Force Chairman acknowledges that in spite of challenges and areas for improvement along the way, the TalofaPass served its intended purpose in regard to travel during Covid.
Further, it has reinforced the need for Government agencies to collect better data, foster collaboration between departments, and improve the experience for returning residents and visitors to our Territory.
The Lemanu-Talauega administration intends to continue building upon the capabilities and functions of the system.
The Task Force has recommended to the Governor that borders to American Samoa be officially reopened to pre-pandemic status on December 1, 2022.
