Two private residences in Dededo and Yigo were among those found in violation of Covid-19 restrictions on Nov. 7.
This is based on a Department of Public Health and Social Services report released Nov. 10, while mayors were meeting at the Sinajana Senior Center and discussing ways to help prevent the further spread of the virus that causes Covid-19.
Public Health also found Covid-19 violations involving a hardware store, a coffee shop, a retail store, a noodle house and a supermarket.
Savares, the mayor of Dededo, said residents can call their police precincts or 311, which then can contact the teams tasked with enforcing Covid-19 restrictions 24 hours a day.
When a resident in Dededo was recently observed to be hosting about 40 people and police were notified, two Department of Public Health and Social Services vehicles and one police truck came to break up the crowd, Savares said.
Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann, left, listens as Mayors’ Council of Guam President Melissa Savares, mayor of Dededo, addresses mayors during a council meeting on Nov. 10, in Sinajana. Photo by Haidee Eugenio Gilbert/The Guam Daily Post
If there are 10 people living in the same household, they can only host up to five other individuals in their home, with masks and social distancing, the mayor said.
In Yigo, Mayor Rudy Matanane said his office recently found two residences having gatherings for about 20 people each, including some playing bingo without masks and without social distancing.
“I think if they enforce the laws and somebody gets penalized, if it hurts the pocket, then people will wake up and do what they’re supposed to do,” Matanane said.
Savares said it’s understandable that people want to be there for each other when there’s a recent death, whether Covid-19-related or not.
But she said other families have been creative in hosting rosary events for their loved ones by doing it through Zoom or Facebook.
“I even advised one family to have five people come every hour,” Savares said.
Public Health is proposing fines of $100 to $10,000 for violations of social gathering restrictions, and of social distancing or mask wearing requirements.
Village testing
Savares also called on mayors to notify Public Health of any areas in their village that may be Covid-19 clusters, so that rapid testing can be done.
“If you have high-number areas, cluster areas that you can identify in your communities, Public Health is ready to come out,” Savares said.
The Dededo mayor said with the holidays fast approaching and the infection rates slow, then the governor may be inclined to modify the restrictions on social gatherings and allow more than five people to congregate.
“I know a lot are concerned because the numbers keep going up. We want to open up and get families together for the holidays, but testing needs to get done,” Savares said.
