Vaccination and pre-approval for entry no longer required for travelers to the territory

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — As of yesterday, Nov. 15, travelers entering American Samoa are no longer required to register for pre-approval on the ASG safe travel portal, TALOFAPass, and passengers are also no longer required to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated in order to enter the territory.

These two requirements have been removed from Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga’s new COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, issued Nov. 10, and effective from Nov. 15 to Dec. 01. The declaration was posted Monday night on the ASG website.

As previously reported by Samoa News, the governor as well as the COVID-19 Task Force had announced the removal of pre-approval on TALOFAPass and the full vaccination requirement earlier this month. And TALOFAPass has been repurposed to upload travelers health declaration form and other information.

Under the new COVID declaration, any person entering the territory must complete a health declaration. Travelers may complete the American Samoa Travel Declaration online prior to travel for expedited entry.

However, travelers and crew members who do not complete the online registration will be required to complete paper forms upon arrival in American Samoa, according to provision of the declaration, which didn’t specify the online registration platform — but it was referring to TALOFAPass.

Furthermore, the “Mask Use” provision of the declaration applies to any person onboard an aircraft, boat, or ship in transit to American Samoa.

The declaration re-emphasized previous ones, that proper mask use is one of the most important tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other serious viruses throughout the community.

Therefore, wearing a mask is required for 10 days for any person who has tested positive for COVID-19, and 5 days for those who have made close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19.

Additionally, any person who has a cold, flu, fever or other flu-like symptoms including coughing and sneezing is strongly encouraged to wear a mask. The same is also encouraged for any person who has a health condition that makes the individual susceptible to serious ailments from airborne viruses.

The new declaration kept in place other issues, such Price Gouging is prohibited; the Health Department may issue isolation directives to restrict movements of people who test positive in accordance with local law; and nothing in this declaration affects the authority of village councils to enact regulations imposing curfews or restricting public gatherings — pursuant to local law.

Click on attachment below for full text of the declaration.