UPDATE: Gov clarifies “temporary entry permit application process”

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In a Dec. 20th general memorandum, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga clarified what he calls the “temporary entry permit application process” for American Samoa in “order to ensure the safety of our people” during the pubic health emergency declaration, due to the measles outbreak.

(Meanwhile, Samoa’s Ministry of Health reported over the weekend that the death toll due to the measles outbreak in the Independent State has reached 79 - the latest was an infant less than 12 months old. The majority of the deaths are children, as 94% of Samoa’s population is now vaccinated).

GOVERNOR’S DIRECTIVE

This policy will be effective for the duration of the emergency declaration, which was issued Dec. 8th.

FOR THOSE TRAVELING THROUGH SAMOA AND TONGA, the governor said an entry permit application must be picked up from the Immigration Office. Furthermore, clearances — listed below — must also be attached to the application for it to be processed:

•           police clearance

•           court clearance

•           LBJ Medical Center clearance

•           Health clearance

•           local Homeland Security Department clearance.

The health clearance “is being added to the process to ensure that all visitors are properly immunized against measles,” the governor points out. He explained that upon submission of the completed application and clearances to the Immigration Office, the application package will be forwarded to the Governor’s Office for review.

PERMITS FOR SAMOA CITIZENS: There is a 14-day review period, while it’s a 30-day review period for all other countries. This review period does not apply to those traveling through the United States or its territories. “Once the review is complete, the permits will be forwarded to the Attorney General’s Office for final processing,” Lolo said in the memo addressed to all cabinet members.

Samoa News understands that the governor’s latest directive follows a meeting with Health director Motusa Tuileama Nua and other officials, as there was a lot of confusion in the community, with different information coming from the government dealing with entry permits for travelers from Samoa during the emergency declaration.

One such policy came from Motusa in a Dec. 17th advisory in which he said he is “not signing any health clearances for travel permits until further notice.” This directive negates this policy — meaning the DOH director has to sign the health clearances.

DOH VACCINATION

DoH mass vaccination resumed last Friday morning at designated sites after a new shipment of MMR doses arrived Thursday from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to DoH, the sites that were originally scheduled for Dec. 20th have been rescheduled for today, Dec. 23rd and sites scheduled for Dec. 21st will resume Dec. 27th. Additionally, the EOC site, at the Ottoville Business Center building - the old Argosy building in Tafuna - is now closed and no longer offering MMR shots to the public. DoH clinics at Tafuna and Fagaalu continue to provide shots for children.

Please check the DoH and Samoa News Facebook pages for the latest updates, and any changes to the vaccination sites.