GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Thursday renewed his executive orders declaring a state of public health emergency, and a state of significant emergency as Covid-19, through its variants, “continues to pose a significant and imminent threat of harm to the community, environment and people of the CNMI.”
The governor’s E.O. 2020-04 declares a state of significant emergency while E.O. 2020-07 orders CNMI Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in partnership with the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and the Covid-19 Task Force, to undertake necessary containment measures.
In his E.O. 2020-14, the governor said HSEM and the Covid-19 Task Force believe that renewals of the executive orders are warranted. In doing so, the governor said, he is directing CHCC, HSEM and other necessary agencies to undertake containment measures to meet the threat of Covid-19.
These renewals took effect immediately and will remain in effect for 30 days.
The governor also noted that in June-July 2022, “a wave of Covid-19 infections spread through the community, so an emergency declaration is still needed to ensure containment of Covid-19 in the CNMI.”
As the CNMI continues to open its economy to tourism from Asian markets, the governor said “the chance of Covid-19 once again spreading in the community is heightened.”
He also said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services renewed its public health emergency on July 15, 2022 for a 90-day period, indicating that federal health officials still see Covid-19 as a threat to public health.
