NEARLY two months after the surge of positive Covid-19 cases among community members, the CNMI continues to work hard to contain the spread of the virus within its community, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said.
“We want to make sure that everybody understands,” he said in a media briefing on Tuesday. “We have done everything we can to sustain and protect the community here in the CNMI, so don’t take that for granted, because the work that we’ve done [in] the past year and a half, [or] almost two years — we’ve held the community down to two deaths, before the surge, [and] we’ve held the positive cases down to below 300…. While [other jurisdictions] have gone [through] three, four, [or] five waves, this is our first wave,” he added.
He noted the CNMI’s efforts to combat Covid-19, including past and current vaccination campaigns such as “Road to 80.”
“There is nothing we can do to 100% safeguard the community from contracting Covid. We’ve said that from the beginning, but what we continue to do is to make sure that everybody’s vaccinated…. We continue to encourage the community…to get vaccinated. Those who have tested positive [for Covid-19], there are medications for it,” he said.
The governor issued temporary Covid-19 restrictions from Monday, Dec. 6 to Sunday, Dec. 19, including restrictions on social gatherings, curfew, mask-wearing, and the closure of all non-essential government offices.
Non-essential government offices were closed for the holiday season beginning at noon on Thursday, Dec. 23, and will reopen on Monday, Dec. 27.
During a separate media briefing on Friday, Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna recommended that community members cancel gatherings, especially during the holiday season.
“But I know how difficult that is for anyone here in the CNMI to do that, [so] rather than restrict an individual, we want to be able to say… be creative to make it safe for you and your family… Of course, the best way to do it is to do it virtually or not even have any celebration at all,” she said.
As of Wednesday, the CNMI reported eight deaths and 2,641 positive Covid-19 cases since March 2020, of which nearly 90% were identified through community screening.
Of the eligible CNMI population, 92.5% or 95,305 individuals, had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
