GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Friday encouraged community members to join the fight against the coronavirus by getting tested and vaccinated.
In a press briefing on KKMP radio, Torres said vaccination is “really important.”
Ralph DLG Torres
Office of the Governor photo
He added, “In order for us to…bring back our tourism, in order for us to bring back the revenue that we need, we need to do our share. We need to get our community vaccinated. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that each one of you, each one of us — we do play a role in bringing back our tourism.”
He highly encourages community members to register to get vaccinated if he or she has yet to do so.
For those who have already registered but have yet to be vaccinated, the governor encourages that they keep their appointment date.
As for those who have been vaccinated, the governor expressed his gratitude.
“Until the [Covid-19] issue is addressed, we can’t expect our tourism market to reopen anytime soon. That’s why it’s very critical that our information goes out to our community to get vaccinated,” he reiterated.
“Just by taking the vaccine, you’re already helping rebuild the economy. Just by taking the vaccine, you’re not only protecting yourself, you’re protecting people you love,” he added.
“The only way for us to get back to [an 80-hour biweekly work period], the only way for us to get employment…and other opportunities [back] is to get our tourism back, so the faster we get our community tested and vaccinated, the faster we get in the right direction in bringing back our tourism market.”
Travel bubble
As for travel bubble, Gov. Torres said the CNMI, South Korea, Japan, and other countries are still assessing their situations.
“But we’re moving forward. We’re still making sure that we continue with the vaccinations on our island community because these are, again, a big factor that we’re looking at once our tourism industry [reopens],” he said.
“We’re cognizant [of] how [there are] two parts of this issue: one is making sure that we continue to provide safety and trust in the community in regards to our vaccination efforts, and then two, obviously, are our tourism partners, whether it’s Japan or South Korea, in seeing their numbers and what their protocols are,” Torres said.
He noted that Skymark Airlines is currently operating domestic flights only, and that Japan is still going through a rough time in its handling of Covid-19.
“There [are] no updates in terms of any flights at this point. We just hope that they are able to flatten their curve,” the governor said.
“We just hope and pray that this [Covid-19] goes away. Otherwise, tourists can’t travel.”
In a separate interview, Alex Sablan, Tan Holdings Corp. vice president of corporate business development and member of the Governor’s Economic Council of Advisers, said the Marianas Visitors Authority is considering Rota as an entry point if a travel bubble with Japan becomes possible.
“I think that’s going to be a perfect opportunity to [reengage] Japan as well as [help] the economy of Rota get back up,” he said, noting that the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. is already working toward having the Rota population vaccinated against Covid-19.
Sablan said he is also encouraged by the E-Land Group’s participation in the planning for a possible travel bubble with South Korea.
On Saipan, E-Land operates Kensington Hotel, the Pacific Islands Club and Coral Ocean Golf Resort.
“I think the program is going to work well. It’s the offshoot of many other travel bubbles that are being projected throughout the world and I think if we can get vaccinations done quickly, along with implementing the rest of the safety protocols, it’s going to work perfectly,” Sablan said.
