State Minister Faustina Rechucher said discussion is ongoing about the planned deportation.
Minister of Health Emais Roberts, in an interview, said he was told about the plan last week, Friday.
“That is something I am concerned about,” he added. “Even though they are Palauan citizens, we have to make sure they go through the proper quarantine.”
Roberts said it would be best if U.S. authorities “hold them in the U.S. until there is a vaccine.”
Palau is one of the few remaining nations in the world that are Covid-free.
Ernest Ongidobel, the chief of staff of Vice President and Minister of Justice Raynold B. Oilouch, said the ministry “has been informed via a diplomatic note from the United States government through the Ministry of State, that there are certain Palauan deportees that need to be repatriated to Palau.”
Echoing the minister of state, Ongidobel said “discussion is still ongoing as to when it will be practical for Palau to receive such people given the…Covid 19 situation in the U.S. and its territories including Guam.”
Ongidobel said the costs of repatriation, testing and quarantine of the deportees are also under consideration during the discussion.
Who will pay for these costs and the timeline for the deportations are among the questions that have yet to be answered.
Ongidobel said deportees will have to adhere to strict Covid-19 testing and quarantine requirements imposed by Palau on travelers entering the island nation.
Roberts fears that opening the borders to people from Covid-19 hotspots can expose Palau to a higher risk of Covid-19 infection.
“All it takes is one case, and with our population and resources, we will lose everything we have worked for,” Roberts said.
