REGARDING the new guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on shortening the recommended isolation time for asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 from 10 days to five days, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna on Monday said the CNMI will not be implementing these measures at this time.
The isolation period for asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 will remain at 10 days.
The CDC had also recommended that the five-day isolation time for asymptomatic individuals be followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.
In addition, the CDC is recommending that the quarantine period for individuals exposed to Covid-19 also be for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional five days.
These new CDC recommendations apply to individuals who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second dose of two-dose Covid-19 vaccine series, or more than two months after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, and have yet to receive a booster dose.
The CDC said if a five-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure, but should wear a mask for 10 days after the exposure.
For all those exposed, best practice would also include a test for SARS-CoV-2 on day five after exposure, the CDC noted.
However, if symptoms occur, individuals should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms symptoms are not attributable to Covid-19.
“At the end of the day, the states and territories can always be more conservative and have been more conservative than what CDC provides as guidelines,” Muna said.
“Considering our situation here in the CNMI where there’s widespread transmission, as well as our sick population…we want to make sure that we do this in the right way. Of course, there are steps for when do we change to crisis management or conventional [contingency], but basically, we want to make sure that this is all done in the right way,” Muna added.
“Right now, at this point, we are definitely on a contingency response and we are doing our very best to make sure that our services, our healthcare system is able to manage the current situation. So right now, to put more risks to our capacity would not be very wise at this time. [R]ight now, we would like to maintain our current quarantine protocols,” Muna also said.
CHCC continues to urge individuals to “live Covid-19 safe” by practicing the 3Ws: wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance; and avoid the 3Cs: closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings.
For more information on CNMI Covid-19 protocols, visit https://www.staysafecnmi.com/livecovidsafe
