GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Thursday said there were still some documents and approvals that needed to be addressed before reopening the CNMI to tourists.
Ralph DLG Torres
“We will continue to do our end here in terms of working with [the Marianas Visitors Authority] and our private partners to have the plan executed the best we can,” he said.
Last month, during an MVA board meeting with the governor and E-Land, which owns three hotels on island, Jan. 8 was mentioned as a possible target date for an Airbus 321 charter flight to Saipan from South Korea with up to 100 passengers subject to the approval of
the South Korean government.
“It’s important that our health priorities here do not change,” the governor reiterated. “I’ve said this in the past, our system works. That system does not and will not change in terms of the travel bubble that comes in.”
Travelers flying into the Commonwealth must have a negative polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test at least seven days prior to their arrival in order to be granted entry.
They will still be tested upon arrival, then transported to the Pacific Islands Club where they will be quarantined for five days. They will not be allowed to go outside of their guest rooms until they test negative on the fifth day of quarantine.
Department of Public Safety personnel will be responsible for enforcing the quarantine rules.
Once the visitors test negative, they will be allowed to use the facilities of the club, as well as the Coral Ocean Point golf course.
Employees at PIC and COP will be isolated from the community as well to further minimize the chances of transmission.
Once the visitors test negative a third time, they will be released and moved to Kensington Hotel Saipan.
PIC, Coral Ocean Point, and Kensington are owned and managed by E-Land.
New strain
The governor said the CNMI is closely monitoring the new strain of the virus that has been reported in Britain and around the world.
“Yes, we are concerned about the new strain so I encourage everyone to get vaccinated because you’re not just protecting yourself; you’re also protecting your loved ones,” he said.
He noted that he himself got vaccinated and has not felt any side effects other than some discomfort on his left arm where he received the shot.
The governor said he received the flu shot about a month and a half prior to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, adding that the flu shot was “worse” than the vaccine.
Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation chief executive officer Esther L. Muna, for her part, said that so far, over 2,700 people in the CNMI have been vaccinated.
“We are expecting more vaccines, and once we see the shipping manifest, we will be making announcements on when we’re going to be doing more vaccines for the first dose,” she said.
With the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force, she said CHCC has been working on a plan to get first and second doses to Tinian and Rota as well.
Meanwhile, “we continue to monitor our borders with our testing capability and quarantine requirements on-site,” she said.
