(CHCC) — The entry protocols announced Thursday have been revised.
With guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, effective Sept. 24, 2021, all inbound travelers originating from a Level 3 or higher jurisdiction on the CDC travel recommendations list who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are required to quarantine for seven days in a designated government facility if they submit a negative PCR test dated no earlier than 48 hours prior to arrival, or 10 days if they do not submit a negative PCR test dated no earlier than 48 hours prior to arrival. Fully vaccinated travelers, regardless of travel origin, are still required to quarantine for five days in a designated government facility.
Any stop over 24 hours in a Level 3 or higher jurisdiction will count as a traveler’s origin.
All travelers will still be tested for Covid-19 on arrival and on their 5th day in quarantine. Fully vaccinated travelers will be released after they test negative for Covid-19 on the 5th day.
Unvaccinated travelers will be tested on their 5th day in quarantine, but will be released on their 7th day if they test negative and have submitted a negative PCR test dated no earlier than 48 hours prior to arrival. Unvaccinated travelers who have not submitted a negative PCR test will be released on their 10th day if they test negative on their 5th-day test. The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. may conduct additional PCR tests on the 7th or 10th day when deemed clinically necessary.
All travelers who test positive for Covid-19 will be isolated in the designated government facility for 10 days.
Fully vaccinated travelers must include their vaccination documentation in their mandatory health declaration form prior to their arrival. CDC Vaccination Record Cards are not acceptable vaccination records for the purpose of quarantining for five days only.
For individuals who were vaccinated in the CNMI, the CHCC Communicable Disease Investigation/Inspection team will look up CHCC vaccination records to verify that the individual is fully vaccinated.
For individuals who were vaccinated outside the CNMI, they will have to provide an official immunization record from their vaccine provider that must include the following information: name of immunization record provider, traveler’s name, traveler’s date of birth, type of vaccine administered, vaccine name, vaccine lot number, and vaccine administration date.
Essential workers requesting entry into CNMI must complete the essential worker request section within the online CNMI Mandatory Declaration Form at least three days prior to arrival. The request will be reviewed by the CNMI Territorial Health Official for a decision. Not all requests are automatically approved.
Travelers who are requesting Critical or Essential Work approval will be evaluated based on the strength of work justification, point of origin, negative PCR test results dated no more than 72 hours prior to arrival, Covid-19 vaccinations, and transit/flight plans. Grantees are required to practice Covid-19 precautions at all times and abide with other establishments’ social distancing expectations.
Essential workers may report to work after receiving their test results from specimen collected on the day of arrival and approval of job-site assessment. Travelers in this category are urged to communicate with the CNMI Territorial Health Official via travelers.health@chcc.health in advance of plannning their trip to CNMI.
An “essential worker” is one listed in the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers Advisory List accessible from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity, and Infrastructure Security Agency or CISA at http://www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors
The CNMI, while recognizing CISA categories, has established a local process to consider modified quarantine for certain essential work needs critical for CNMI. Simply being in a CISA category should not be perceived as a reason to be exempted from our local procedures, nor does it confer “approved essential worker” for the CNMI.
All travelers are encouraged to fill out their health declaration form prior to arrival at https://governor.gov.mp/covid-19/travel
Additionally, the Covid-19 Infoline has a new number and operating hours. For comments, concerns, and inquiries regarding entry or quarantine protocols, call (670) 488-0211 or email travel@vaccinatecnmi.com. The hotline runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Sunday.
The CNMI is reminded to watch out for misinformation and to follow updates directly from the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and CHCC. The spread of misinformation is just as dangerous as the virus itself.
If you are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, please contact the CHCC Tele-Triage hotline at (670) 233-2067. The hotline runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Updates from the Covid-19 Task Force and the CHCC can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts @governorcnmi and @cnmichcc, as well as through CNMI media partners.
