BOARD of Education Chairman Andrew Orsini said face-to-face classes at public schools may resume on Nov. 15.
Meanwhile, he added, schools are being cleaned and sanitized and contact tracing continues to be conducted.
On Oct. 28, 2021, after consulting with health officials, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres shut down all schools and colleges — “to mitigate against community spread” — for the next 10 days.
Through a routine antigen testing, two positive Covid-19 cases had been confirmed at Chacha Oceanview Middle School and Francisco M. Sablan Middle School.
At Marianas High School, one positive case was identified through contact tracing.
“PSS is trying to be extra cautious to ensure the safety of students and school staff,” Orsini told Variety.
He said PSS management has been meeting every day to discuss updates.
On Monday, Orsini said he received a request from acting Education Commissioner Eric Magofna to extend the closure of public schools.
“I have agreed with the request from acting COE Eric Magofna and I have asked the other board members to support the request,” Orsini added.
For her part, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther Muna said the CNMI is set to receive 2,700 initial doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Orsini said CHCC will require eligible children or students to get the Covid-19 vaccine as part of their health clearance.
He said the BOE has not approved any vaccination mandate yet, but PSS will continue to coordinate with CHCC regarding the vaccination of eligible students.
In an interview with KUAM, acting Commissioner Magofna said 90% of PSS staff are vaccinated.
