HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The governor’s office said pandemic restrictions will be eased heading into the holiday season.
Earlier this month, Nathaniel Berg, chairperson of the governor’s Physicians Advisory Group, said officials were working on an “actionable plan” that could lead to increasing the numbers allowed at holiday parties, both in restaurants and private homes.
That plan appears to be nearly ready for Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to approve.
“Gov. Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio are very encouraged by the continued downward trend in (Covid-19) positive cases. In consultation with the Department of Public Health and Social Services, the Physicians Advisory Group and her advisers, the public can anticipate a lifting of restrictions in the coming days,” Krystal Paco-San Agustin, the governor’s director of communications, said Tuesday.
Berg previously told The Guam Daily Post that restrictions most likely to be affected were social gathering and restaurant occupancy limits.
But when asked what specific changes would be made, Paco-San Agustin said: “That is still being discussed.”
The island’s hospitalization and daily case counts have continued to drop — there were 41 new Covid-19 cases reported Tuesday and 28 people being treated at local hospitals for Covid-19. While both numbers are improvements, they’re still higher than they were earlier this year. The Covid-19 Area Risk Score is 3.3, which is higher than the 2.5 that officials said was the ideal.
‘Do as I say and not as I do’
The announcement from the governor’s office came hours after Sen. Frank Blas Jr. sent a letter to Tenorio, who currently is acting governor, requesting the administration ease or rescind certain restrictions, such as social gathering limits and vaccine mandates.
Enforcement of gathering rules has been unequally applied, Blas said.
“Quite a few individuals have shared their disappointment and confusion with what has been ordered and what they have seen in gatherings hosted or attended by administration officials,” he wrote. “I too have been witness to government-hosted events that appear to have lacked social distancing protocols and attendance limitations while family gatherings and private events are being forced to adhere to the restrictions.”
Blas wrote the visible inequity leads to the appearance that some officials abide by a “do as I say and not as I do” mentality, citing “viral photographs of recent government travels and events” as evidence.
Leon Guerrero announced via social media Tuesday that she attended a White House signing of President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure package.
Media footage of the event showed maskless attendees who were not socially distanced.
Paco-San Agustin explained the governor “and all attendees” were required to provide a negative Covid-19 test before participating. She also stressed local officials maintain “recommendations for masks and social distancing for Guam,” when asked if similar events were possible on island.
“Unfortunately, Guam’s health care capacity is limited, unlike our stateside counterparts who have greater access to neighboring hospitals and resources. It is important to note that the (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is currently studying the high rate of dead-on-arrival cases in our community,” she said. “Our best defense against the virus are our mitigation efforts, which includes booster shots for our most vulnerable populations and administering inoculations for young children who recently became eligible.”
Signage at the entrance to Capricciosa Ristorante Italiano informs customers that because of the governor’s executive order they will have to show proof of vaccination, as seen on Aug. 24 in Hagåtña.
