CHCC spokesman Lee Tenorio said the two individuals were identified by travel screening and confirmed diagnosis through testing upon arrival at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport and fifth day testing.
The two passengers, he added, are in quarantine and were moved to the designated isolation area for close monitoring.
He said CHCC has already initiated contact tracing for the most immediate contacts of the new confirmed cases, including passengers on the same flight.
Since August, Covid-19 cases in the CNMI have been diagnosed mostly among inbound passengers. The CNMI Covid-19 dashboard indicates that of the 98 cases, 72 were travel-related and 26 were from community transmission.
Of the 72 travel-related cases, 34 were from the U.S. mainland, 25 from Guam and 11 from foreign countries.
Covid-19 Task Force Chairman Warren Villagomez reiterated that public health and safety is the government’s top priority.
He said since early this year, and with significant assistance from the federal government, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and CHCC Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna have been leading the efforts to ensure the health and safety of the CNMI through increased health screening, implementation of quarantine protocols, and cost-containment measures to stabilize government services.
