THE Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation on Thursday announced that the CNMI is in Covid-19 Community Level High, but is progressing toward Medium, in accordance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new Covid-19 metric of Community Levels.
“With the CNMI’s high percentages of residents completing their primary series of a Covid-19 vaccine or receiving a booster shot, the new CDC metric falls in line with the CNMI’s shift to focus on medically significant community cases,” the task force and CHCC said.
A combination of three factors determines the Covid-19 Community Level: new Covid-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, and the total new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.
Based on these factors, the Covid-19 Community Level can be classified as Low, Medium, or High.
High Covid-19 Community Level recommends wearing a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status, including in K-12 schools and other indoor community settings.
Medium and Low Covid-19 Community Levels recommend wearing a mask based on personal preference, informed by each individual’s own personal level of risk.
In general, residents do not need to wear masks when outdoors.
If an individual is sick and needs to be around others or is caring for someone who has Covid-19, it is recommended that he or she wear a mask.
While the CNMI did not have an official mask mandate, guidance from the CDC, CHCC, and the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force emphasized the importance of the 3Ws including wearing a mask, washing your hands, and watching your distance to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
The Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force and CHCC also stated that attending a gathering or event increases an individual’s chances of being in close contact with people outside of his or her household and being exposed to Covid-19.
It is recommended that they avoid crowded places where he or she cannot stay six feet away from others.
Individuals are encouraged to maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces whenever possible, as well as follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if they are exposed to Covid-19 or have symptoms of Covid-19.
Businesses that serve the public should continue to assist in the CNMI’s effort to stop the spread of Covid-19 by promoting healthy hygiene practices, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces frequently, ensuring proper ventilation throughout its spaces, and monitoring sickness.
Businesses may implement a capacity limit for the safety of customers or staff who expressed they have underlying medical conditions.
To date, cases are continuously detected via Community-Based Testing, CHCC or DFEMS testing, as well as at-home testing.
But due to the high vaccination rate against Covid-19 in the CNMI and availability of treatments such as monoclonal antibodies, rates of severe Covid-19 have been low.
For more information, call the Governor’s Covid-19 Task Force Infoline at (670) 488-0211, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., or visit www.staysafecnmi.com
