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Mangloña appeals to Torres to extend antivirus measures to Rota and Tinian
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Posted on Mar 09 2020
With the CNMI government putting in place measures designed to prevent the entry of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Sen. Paul Mangloña (Ind-Rota) is appealing to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to expand the preventative measures to both Rota and Tinian.
Manglona, who is the Rota delegation chairman, specifically asked the Commonwealth Ports Authority to equip the Rota International Airport with a thermal scanner, and for the Rota Roundhouse to be removed from a list of primary locations to prevent or limit COVID-19 transmissions in the CNMI.
Like Saipan, Rota receives direct flights from Guam.
“To shield the people of Rota from exposure to COVID-19, I am requesting that CPA equips the Rota International Airport with a thermal scanner to screen incoming flights from Guam,” Manglona said in a letter Thursday.
CPA is in the process of buying a thermal body scanner that would detect body temperature of passengers arriving at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport.
Mangloña also requested for the Office of the Governor, or the Commonwealth Health Care Corp., to remove the Rota Roundhouse from a list of possible quarantine facility on Rota and replace it instead with a more secure location.
“The Rota Roundhouse is an open-air facility that is currently ill-equipped to handle quarantine operations or any operation requiring a sanitary environment,” the senator explained.
CHCC has identified facilities in the CNMI that would be used to house infected individuals in case the hospital’s quarantine is exceeded, should COVID-19 enter the islands.
The senator also asked the governor to consider extending the provision of an emergency protocol training to emergency response staff on Rota and Tinian.
“It is vital to train emergency response staff from [Rota and Tinian], especially considering their limited capabilities at critical facilities. Should training become available, I request that this training be extended to emergency response staff on Rota and Tinian,” he said.
Mangloña also asked Torres to clarify whether the federal government will provide the CNMI with diagnostic tests and other anti-COVID-19 tools.
