ROTA Mayor Efraim Atalig has asked Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to require Covid-19 testing for passengers bound for Rota.
In his letter to the governor, Atalig noted the increasing number of Covid-19 cases on Saipan that are detected via community-based testing.
“We here on Rota are very concerned about these daily increases,” he added.
The mayor said because it is his “fiduciary responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of the community” he highly recommends testing passengers from Saipan and Tinian 72 hours before their flight to Rota.
This will prevent individuals who have Covid-19 from infecting the community of Rota, he added.
Atalig said he “stands ready to utilize any resources within the scope of my powers as mayor to assist with coordinating and planning to ensure the safety and security of the community of Rota.”
“I respectfully request your immediate attention and action on this serious matter as I feel we are losing valuable time in prevention and protection implementations,” the Rota mayor added.
Rota Sen. Paul A. Manglona, in an interview, said he strongly supports the mayor’s recommendation, which, he added, may allow Star Marianas Air Inc. to consider resuming its Rota-Saipan flight service.
Last week, Star Marianas suspended all its flights until further notice, “due to the risks presented by an unhealthy flight environment.”
But SMA said it will resume daily flights between Rota and Guam on Jan. 1, 2022.
