Through Directive 16 of the Emergency Directives, a curfew was imposed to aid efforts to contain Covid-19 by stopping large social gatherings. It was also imposed to ease the load on our stretched law enforcement personnel by allowing fewer personnel to patrol greater amounts of our islands. The directive has been successful in achieving its goals. Because of the demonstrated success of the community in following the curfew and refraining from social gatherings, it is now believed that reducing the curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. is now warranted. Such an extension will permit persons to exercise in cooler temperatures and expand the hours for fishing. These activities, and other similar activities, are critical to maintaining our community’s physical and mental well-being as long as social distancing requirements are met.
In conformance with the above findings, section (a) of Directive 16 of the CNMI Covid-19 Emergency Directives is amended to read as follows:
“(a) Effective May 1, 2020, pursuant to my authority under the Second Amended Executive Order 2020-04, 1 CMC § 20144(h)(4)(ii), 3 CMC § 2191(d)(2) and NMIAC § 140-10.3- 340, no person, adult or minor, shall loiter or be present in, on or about any public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, public buildings, places of amusement and entertainment, or vacant lots and places within the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Violators will be subject to the penalties described in NMIAC § 140-10.3-401 or the penalties stated below in Section (d).”
We wish to extend our appreciation to the community for their patience and cooperation with the curfew. Your cooperation in following the curfew, not participating in large social gatherings, following strict social distancing guidelines, and following our other Emergency Directives will prevent the spread of Covid-19 in our islands.
This amendment in no way means that there is no longer a threat to the CNMI Community. In the absence of treatments and vaccines proven to be safe and effective, please continue to turn to social distancing to avoid a spike in serious illnesses and deaths that could overwhelm our healthcare system.
CHCC and the Covid-19 Taskforce will continue to frequently provide the island residents with health information and guidance to practice effective prevention measures to keep our community safe. In the meantime, CHCC will continue to investigate all suspects and cases and identify contacts to ensure that transmission of Covid-19 is contained. In order to achieve this, CHCC will expand contact tracing to all communities.
Sincerely,
/s/
GERALD J. DELEON GUERRERO
Special Assistant for Homeland Security & Emergency Management
/s/
ESTHER L. MUNA
Chief Executive Officer
Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation
Concurred by:
/s/
RALPH DLG TORRES
Governor
