A week after its original arrival date on July 24, the repatriation charter flight from Guam has landed in Palau today, July 31, with 81 of the original 84 stranded residents. One of the passengers opted out of the flight and deciding go back to school.
The flight includes residents who were stranded in the United States (including Hawaii and Guam), Japan, and the Philippines.
The repatriation flight was delayed an additional week in Guam after two of the original passengers tested positive for COVID. Those two passengers were removed to a separate isolation site in Guam and remain there under special health care. The additional week of quarantine for the remaining passengers allowed the Guam government to conduct contact-tracing, during which time the passengers remained in their rooms, separated from each other.
The National Emergency Committee emphasized that all necessary measures have been taken to minimize the importation of COVID, including social distancing measures, the wearing of masks, and clean surfaces on the flight, and assures that passengers underwent the required testing prior to departure.
The 81 passengers underwent health and symptom screening upon arrival at the Palau International Airport, conducted by workers wearing protective gear, after which they were conducted to government-designated quarantine facilities. The NEC stressed that the passengers were wearing masks, practicing proper hand hygiene, and having limited contact with anyone throughout this transition.
This is the second charter flight from Guam bearing stranded expatriates, the first having borne 58 residents early in June.
Residents are due to remain in the quarantine facilities for two weeks. They will undergo testing on the 7th and 14th day of quarantine, after which they will be released provided that the tests are negative. They will then be asked to self-monitor at home, and return on the 21st day for a final test.
Guam charter flight arrives bearing 81 residents
