GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios renewed the declaration of public health emergency and the continued declaration of a state of significant emergency for another 30 days.
The governor signed Executive Order 2023-02 on Feb. 2, three days before he left for Washington D.C. to attend the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources hearing on the “State of the U.S. Territories.”
The executive order renews E.O. 2020-04, declaring a state of public health emergency and a state of significant emergency to establish response, quarantine and preventive containment measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the CNMI.
It also renews E.O. 2020-07, directing the CNMI Homeland Security & Emergency Management Office, through the CNMI Covid-19 Task Force, and in partnership with the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. to undertake necessary Covid-19 containment measures by means of emergency directives to protect the health and safety of the public.
The renewal of the emergency declaration will allow the CNMI to continue receiving federal funding, including for the presumptive eligibility Medicaid program.
In renewing E.O. 2020-04, the governor stated that all memoranda, directives, waivers of regulations, and other measures taken in accordance with E.O. 2020-04, as amended, will remain in effect for 30 days from the date of E.O. 2023-02, which was Feb. 2.
Likewise, the renewal of 2020-07 directs HSEM, the Covid-19 Task Force, in partnership with CHCC, to undertake Covid-19 containment measures.
