There are three online petitions against the American Samoa Government’s TALOFAPASS web system, which screens entry into American Samoa, one of the major complaints by local residents that are trying to go to the US territory.
Samoa News reported that people have signed the separate petitions circulating online calling for the elimination and dismantling of TALOFAPASS, which launched in the latter part of 2021 as American Samoa prepared to resume commercial flights between Pago Pago and Honolulu.
The online petitions come amid growing concerns and complaints from travellers, future travellers as well as their family members over the need to continue using this ASG Safe Travel portal for American Samoa, following problems with registration and confirmed passengers trying to get the final approval code to board a flight to Pago Pago.
There have also been questions about the need for this system any longer — for which ASG allocated some $8 million funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act money — what with the COVID-19 virus already circulating in American Samoa and travellers no longer required to pre-test for the coronavirus prior to entering the territory.
There are many local passengers that were not allowed to board the recent flights due to the talofapass.
