FSM Information Services
Press Release
FSM Outbound Travel Restrictions Completely Lifted; FSM Inbound Travel Restrictions Extended to January 31st, 2021
PALIKIR, Pohnpei—Formally received by the Office of the President on November 30th, 2020, on November 25th, 2020, the 21st Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) passed Congressional Resolution (C.R.) 21-228 which amends the Declaration of Public Health Emergency first instituted by His Excellency David W. Panuelo, President of the FSM, on January 31st, 2020. For the great bulk of citizens, residents, and stakeholders, both those residing in the FSM and those stranded abroad, C.R. 21-228 offers no change from the status quo of the past several months and is thematically similar to the previously enacted C.R. 21-185 and C.R. 21-175. Economic provisions, such as cargo shipping and at-sea transshipment of fish, remain in place and unaltered.
While for the most part Congressional Resolution 21-228 is thematically similar to Congressional Resolution 21-185 and other previous extensions of the Public Health Emergency, there are two substantive amendments that will impact a sizeable number of FSM citizens.
The first of these amendments is that the inbound travel restrictions have been extended to January 31st, 2021.
The second of these amendments is that all outbound travel restrictions have been removed, i.e. any FSM citizen or resident may leave the FSM to travel to any destination, for any reason or no reason, at their discretion, without delay or hindrance by the FSM National Government. Citizens wishing to travel outside of the FSM while the COVID-19 Pandemic still threatens the Nation are encouraged to be mindful that the Government cannot categorically guarantee a date or time for when the Pandemic will end or when their repatriation into the Nation can occur. Citizens choosing to leave the FSM at this time do so with the knowledge that a return date cannot be presently confirmed.
As of November 30th, 2020, the FSM remains COVID-19 free, without any reported cases in Yap State, Chuuk State, Pohnpei State, or Kosrae State.
Forty-one (41) persons are presently in the Government’s pre-quarantine facility in the U.S. Territory of Guam for a minimum of fourteen days, with anticipated repatriation to the FSM to occur on December 5th, 2020. All such persons’ COVID-19 tests have thus far been negative for the virus. Upon their return to the FSM, the fourteen (14) day quarantine required by the FSM COVID-19 Task Force has been extended to twenty-one (21) days per a recent request from the Pohnpei State COVID-19 Task Force.
Queries regarding the Executive Branch’s execution of C.R. 21-228 can be relayed to the Manager for Environmental Health & Preparedness, Mr. Moses Pretrick, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at +691-320-8300. Queries may also be relayed to the Public Information Officer/Press Secretary, Mr. Richard Clark, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +691-320-2548. Citizens may also send a direct message to the Office of the President’s Division of Public Information on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/piofsm/
Citizens interested in C.R. 21-228 may find it here: https://gov.fm/files/CR_21-228_RC-.pdf
